I want to begin by saying that I have experienced rejection my whole life, and it really does take a toll on you. Whether it is not being good enough for friends, lovers, teachers, coaches, or parents the feeling of rejection is a hard one. My whole life, I have never felt like I truly fit in anywhere and I started to feel like there was something wrong with me. I consistently felt like I put in too much effort for people who could truly care less if I was around or not. I apologized way too often, even when I did nothing wrong in fear of making people upset. It took me until college to realize that never fitting into one set group of people was the best thing to ever happen to me.

I came to college and watched people get into little cliques, just like they did in high school and I was terrified it was going to be the same thing all over again. Now that I’m in my third year of college, I realize just how great it is to not have one group of friends. I have learned how to deal with many different types of people without spitting out judgments. I have learned to accept everyone for who they are, regardless of the differences we may have. I have discovered that I am the happiest alone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to be social. If you learn how to be happy by yourself you can learn how to bring this happiness into all interactions you come across. You learn how to love everyone, regardless of how they treat you. Not fitting in did hurt, but it teaches you that you never need another person to define who you are. When you don’t feel good enough, it helps build you into a person who doesn’t need others opinions to define you.

So, to everyone who has ever put me down or rejected me, thank you. I truly mean it. Thank you, because without you I would never be the loving person I am today. You taught me how to love myself regardless of how you feel about me. I hope everyone takes away from this that you are good enough, everyone is good enough. Happiness is all about loving yourself and not being concerned with the opinions of others.