I've learned something valuable today, and I think knowing this lesson will help me for years to come.

I learned that, sometimes, people just won't like me.

I'm sure everyone has or will reach this point of enlightenment, and the universe decided that it was my day to be reborn into this new and strange world. Sometimes people won't like me for no reason at all, and sometimes they won't like me for their own personal reasons. There's nothing I can do about it except accept it and move on.

I'm not going to whine about this particular person who doesn't like me, and honestly, it wasn't just one person who led me to this revelation.

I've had a few encounters since I started college that have resulted in people forming poor opinions of me and stirring up drama in the background of what will be some of the most important years of my life. The noise of the drama in the background began to distract me from what truly matters in my life right now: My schoolwork and my happiness with who I am.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it is against others. I know that I've formed these opinions of others, and I had never given my dislike a second thought. There was usually just one thing about someone that bugged me and caused me to keep them at an arm's length. So if I do it myself, how can I be upset with others?

But I was upset. I felt like it was a personal blow that struck out my self-esteem and my confidence.

Words that I heard about me loomed in my mind, playing over and over like a broken record. Every time I thought about the words, I felt a knife cut deeper into myself. I started believing that something was wrong with me, that there was something that I had to do to make it right.

I was ignoring the facts.

Not everyone will like me—that's a statement as true as saying not everyone likes pickles or tomatoes or even chocolate.

I know that I have made mistakes. I also know that sometimes I will have to live with the mistakes I make, even if the consequences are less than pleasant.

I can't let the opinions of others affect my happiness with who I am. I'm proud of the trials that I have overcome. I'm proud of the personal demons that I have vanquished. There's no changing who I am. My personality had been put through the fire of life, and I have forged and hammered and polished myself into what I have become.

Other people will go through other methods to craft who they are, and sometimes the processes won't mix. It's as simple as that.

I do wish things hadn't gone the way that they did between me and the ones involved. I never meant to offend anyone, but sometimes I forget the implied line as I brazenly cross it.

I haven't been given the chance to make amends yet. I haven't been given the chance to show my true self to the people who judge me harshly. I hope that someday they'll allow me this opportunity. Without getting to know me, these people will always dislike me. That's something that will always sit with me, but it's also something I can't control or dwell over.

There will always be people out there who don't like you. Whether it's because of the way you talk, the jokes you make, the effort you put into things, or the rash decisions that you make, you can't allow their opinion to affect your quality of life. There will always be someone who doesn't like you, but there will also always be someone who does.

I tell myself that I have no regrets. I have mistakes that I learn from, and I'll learn something new every day,

Today's just another day.