When I was younger, I’d put my arms in my shirt and told people I had lost them.

I would restart the video game whenever I knew I was going to lose. I would sleep with all the stuffed animals so none of them would get offended. I had that one pen with 6 colors, and tried to push all the buttons at once. I poured my soda into the cap and acted like I was taking shots.I would wait behind a door to scare someone, but soon leave because they were taking too long or I had to pee.

I would fake being asleep, so my dad would carry me to my bed. I used to think that the moon followed my car. I would watch those two drops of rain roll down the window and pretend it was a race. I used to swallow fruit seeds and get scared to death that a tree was going to grow in my tummy.

Remember when we were kids and couldn’t wait to grow up?

What were we thinking? Life was so simple.

Over time, I have overcome a lot of challenges. I believe this is crucial to our development. Our parents teach us right from wrong, our peers influence the persona we want to portray, but challenges and how we deal with them; that is how we truly encompass our identity.

I was the type of person that held onto things too tight, unable to release my grip, when it no longer felt right. It gave me blisters. All my fingers would ache, but it was worth all the time that it took. I used to think in losing things, I’d lose part of me too. Slowly, I’d become someone my heart no longer knew.

Then one day something happened. I dropped what I had once held dear, and my soul became much lighter, instead of filled with fear. It taught my heart that some things aren’t meant to last for long. Some things arrive to teach you lessons, and then continue on. You don’t have to cling to people, who no longer make you smile, or do something you’ve come to hate. If it isn’t worth your while, sometimes the thing you’re fighting for isn’t worth the cost, and not everything you ever lose, is bound to be a loss.

Sometimes in life you focus so hard on what you want, that you lose sight of what you deserve. We have to learn to stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it. We should never waste our time trying to explain who we are to people who are committed to misunderstanding us. I learned the hard way that I couldn’t always count on others to respect my feelings, even if I respect theirs. Being a good person doesn’t guarantee that others will be good people too. You only have control over yourself and how you choose to be as a person. As for others, you can only choose to accept them or walk away.

There comes a point in time when have to choose to be done with something. It is not always going to be an easy decision, but it could be the best decision for you to make. Whether it means that you are done attending a certain school, you are done fighting in a relationship, or done putting up with people at work. You have to be able to choose happiness.

Some actions don’t even need reactions. If anything is worth the fight, keep fighting, but trust me when I say I’m done-----I mean I’m done.