There has always been one thing I have never understood and that’s the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is absolute crap. Words have more power than a lot of people realize. They can break you down in two seconds or stop you dead in your tracks. When someone tells you to just ignore the things people say, I have to wonder how they expect you to do that? Once someone says something, it’s a thought that’s out there in the world and they can’t take that back. It’s a doubt that’s planted in a person’s mind that will forever be there.

I know how hard it is to live with those thoughts. Those little reminders that you might not be good enough. I have doubted my physical appearance, my intelligence, my talent, and every time it just made me not want to be around people because there’s that chance. That chance that someone might plant another doubt in my mind. So, I never did anything. And nobody, but my family, tried to get me to.

That was until I got to college and people came to me. They asked me how I was doing, what classes I had, what I was doing that night, etc. Soon, I started to talk to more people and go to social events. I was myself and it felt so good.

Now, I’m telling you all of this because I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I waited for people to come to me. I never took the chance to just talk to people and make friends. I’m telling you that you can’t avoid doing things because you’re scared someone won’t like you. There are going to be people who don’t like you in life. It’s something we all have to deal with, but it’s not something to be afraid of.

And don’t let people’s words make you doubt yourself. Because I’m telling you right now (and you can trust me), you are perfect. You are beautiful. You are loved. It’s nice to hear it from others, but unless you can wrap this concept around your brain, you’ll always doubt yourself. You’ll always hold yourself back. Don’t. You are capable of so much more than just worrying about what others think. You can never truly accept someone else’s love before you love yourself.