From teachers, friends and relatives, I am no stranger to rejection. For some reason I may never know, you decided I was no longer worth your time. To you, I was no longer good enough. I know you could not have predicted I would be stronger because of your rejection. The most important thing I have to say to all of you is this: I will continue to pick myself up no matter how many times I am dropped. No matter who abandons me, ruins my spirit, or does not believe in me, I will no longer let you alter my future happiness.
To the teachers that have tried to crush my spirit, you may have succeeded at the time, but in the long run you have failed. You told me I was not good enough and I believed you then. Thankfully, not all my teachers and mentors were like you. There were some along the way that believed in me and they have made a world of difference. The few that believed in me lit the spark that started the flame of curiosity that you put out. I thank those that helped me reach the desire to learn again. If it were not for you, I would not be where I am today.
To the friends that have come and gone along the way, I do not really know what to say. Each relationship has ended or taken separate paths for different reasons, both good and bad. For whatever reason, you decided our friendship was no longer worth an effort, a phone call, or a text message. While it would be nice to speak to you again, my friendship is not a revolving door. I can only put my trust in those I know will stick around for the long haul, no matter where our paths take us. Unfortunately, you are not one of the people I can trust with my friendship any longer.
To the relatives that have let insignificant drama separate us, it saddens me that we no longer speak. I wish that our family bonds were stronger than anything, but I suppose not. For those that separated from me due to larger, more complicated issues, I hope we can have a relationship again one day when all wounds have healed.
To those that I thought of as my best friends, your rejection has hurt the most. I trusted you to always be there for me like you said you would be, and you left anyway. I revealed my soul to you and I was vulnerable. Despite being hurt by you, I will trust again. I refuse to close myself off from those that come into my life in the future just because you could not handle me in my past.
Despite however many people do not believe I am worth it, I know there are people in this world that disagree. The small amount of people that have stood by my side mean the world to me. I am forever grateful for your constant love and support.
However, there is one person that has not always believed in me but matters the most: myself. I used to let fear and rejection keep me from believing in myself, but that is no longer the case. After all, if I cannot believe in myself, how do I expect anyone else to do so, either?
