Growing up, one of the first lessons I learned in school was: "Worry about yourself." In elementary school, this usually means no tattling and paying attention to your own work. I never thought this would be one of the biggest lessons that I carried with me into my (sort of adult) life.

Whenever I'm going through something difficult that involves another person, my father always tells me that I am the only person whose feelings I can control. It took me much longer than I want to admit to completely figure out what he meant by that, but now I understand. No matter what situation you may find yourself in, whether you are right or wrong, the only person whom you have any control over is yourself. You can't control anyone else's words, actions, reactions, or feelings. You can only decide how you respond. Sometimes this means apologizing for something you've done wrong, and sometimes it means forgiving someone who has wronged you. You are only responsible for how you act; you can't stress about how someone else is acting.

When you're faced with a difficult situation, it's easy to get caught up in how the other person feels and as humans, we have a desired reaction that we want out of other people. You're not always going to get the reaction you want — and you are not responsible for that. Someone else's behavior can mean a million different things, and you can't control that behavior, nor will you fully understand it at any given time. You are only responsible for your own life, your own soul, and your own words and actions.

You are your own.

You are the only thing in life you can control. You control what you think and the decisions that you make. You are only responsible for your own actions, not the actions or words of others. Make sure your actions speak to who you want to be.