I think its safe to say that we have all had to walk away from some people in our lives. Sure, we make our own choices and all, but what if we had to? What if being around that person made you lose who you were even more? What if they aren't the same? There's a bunch of "what ifs" in life. And they can be scary. But, consider this -- what if you decided to make yourself happy for a change? What if, to do that, you had to remove certain people from your life?

I've been there. It's not easy but, sometimes, it's the only thing you can do. I was in a relationship from my sophomore year in high school to my freshman year of college. I walked away. Why would I do that if I spent three years with a person I thought I was going to marry and spend the rest of my life with? I had to, for my own sake. I also had someone who was my very best friend for years that just stopped talking to me. We haven't spoken in months. I guess I made my own decision to stop worrying about why she stopped talking to me, and just to take it as a sign that I needed to walk away.

In a way, I'm glad that I made these decisions for myself, by myself. I needed to be hurt in order to realize that there were people in my life that were bringing me down. This article is in no way meant to hurt them or insult them in any way. I am simply saying this: It's OK.

Deciding to walk away does not mean that you have automatically decided to give up on the person entirely. However, you have given up on exhausting yourself in order to make everything right and make someone else happy at the cost of your happiness.

Whenever you make a decision, or it is already decided for you, to sever ties with certain people, rest assured that it was the best thing for you. I am a Christian and I can honestly say that I think God was telling me that I needed to move on from these people in my life in order to grow and discover myself. And you know what? The day I broke up with that boyfriend, I felt a weight lifted off of me. I started being myself again. I made friends. I moved out into an apartment with my best friend. This would soon be the friend that is mentioned in this article. The day that my best friend stopped talking to me was the day that I met my boyfriend, who treats me better than I deserve and I love him so dearly.

So, readers, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: don't feel like you owe anyone anything. If someone makes you feel insecure, if someone is constantly putting you down, if someone is leading you down paths you don't want to travel, if someone is trying to change you or your beliefs, walk away. You'll thank yourself in the end.

I know that people that know me will know who I'm talking about in this article. And that's OK. Because I'm not mad, upset, or hurt. Not anymore. If anything, Holding a grudge is not what Jesus would do. I am thankful for you two, and for everyone else that I have walked away from, or those who have walked away from me. You made me realize that there is just another doorway opening for me.

So, thank you. Thank you for the laughs, the tears, the memories -- good and bad -- the lessons you have taught me and, most importantly, thank you for being there when I needed you the most. Even though you aren't in my life anymore, I don't resent you. I believe that the things we go through and the people we encounter in life are all a part of God's marvelous plan to make me who I am meant to be. And isn't that what life is all about?