"Your dreams are unrealistic."

The amount of times I have told myself I couldn't do something based on the opinion of others seems like a day-to-day ritual. In which I have based my whole life on the opinion of others.

I have spent my whole life smiling, and being happy, with the hope of making others smile and laugh. But for years after those days that I hid behind my smile, I would lay restless at night and cry because I never felt important or good enough. Lots of individuals said, "You'll never be able to do that." Or, "Stop living in your daydreams."

And then one day, I found myself.

My dream was to be different, original, but like others, and find my place in the world. When my freshman year of college rolled around, I chose a career path that everyone said I would be good at, but my heart wasn't in it. A year later and close to finishing my degree early, I realized that I only have one life to live: and this life is mine. Some laughed at me. But this time, I laughed back.

So I decided to chase my dreams, and do what most thought I couldn't do. Another year later and I'm transferring to the University of Pittsburgh to finish my degree in Chemistry and earn another degree in Nursing. People smile and say, "Wow, you think you can do that?" I laugh because I know I will.

And this all happened by not everyone believing in me or telling me I can do it, but just by one person. One person who believed in me when I couldn't stand myself. A stranger who changed my life and made me realize my true value. I spent years valuing the opinions of others to help make my decisions. But it's up to me on how I want to spend my days. Only I can make my dreams happen.

Another two years later, I'm marrying that stranger.