To those who said I couldn't do it,

First of all, what did you even mean by "it"? The word is open to interpretation. However, if we look at the context of our conversations, you degraded my ability to succeed. You took my confidence and lowered it, and made me feel like I would fail. I don't think you realize that after you said that to me - the snaky comment or side notes you made when I didn't want to hear them - I thought about it for days. Sometimes I thought about them for weeks, depending on how I was feeling at the time. You may not realize that your words hurt me, but they do.

With all that being said, you know you hurt me. However, what you don't know is that I'm using what you said to motivate myself. When I think that maybe I can't do it - I can't live up to my dreams - I remember that you want that. You want me to fail and be sad. However, I will succeed. You think I won't, but I will. You fueled me to work hard and continue towards my dreams. Ambition is what drives me, and my ambition for my future is stronger than any words you may have uttered to me in the past.

My dreams may seem far-fetched. They may seen like they are unattainable. Nothing, my friend, is unattainable. Dreams come true. I know how hard I need to work, and it is a possibility that not everyone is cut out for that kind of work. However, I know myself more than you know me. I know my limits and I know what I am capable of. Sometimes I push my limits and that's okay. We need to do that. Humans need to push themselves every so often so that they can realize their limits. That does not mean that they are going to fail.

There is one more thing you need to know. Your degradation has not been the only thing inspiring me. You are not the only reason I will succeed I life. I will do amazing things to make myself, my family, and my friends proud. You will not bring me down, but only push me to be the best version of myself. So go ahead, tell me again that I can't reach my full potential or make my dreams come true. I'll talk to you when I'm living the life I always dreamed of, and we can see where you are then. I'm not saying you will fail. If anything, I hope you don't. I want you to be just as successful as me. I want you to see me in the future and realize your words were nothing but empty, and that in the end we are equal. We both achieved what we wanted and we continue to pursue that throughout life. I wish you the best, and I mean that with the most sincerity possible. I just wanted you to know that when you said I couldn't, I decided to prove to you I can.