I am me.

This is me.

There used to be times when I put myself down consistently. When I told myself that I was falling behind at something, I believed it. I believed the lies that I fed my brain, which continued this cycle of self-depreciation and acknowledgment. I had reached rock bottom, the place where many found no escape from.

Talking to many other students in my surroundings helped me recognize that many individuals feel this emptiness. This feeling of not being able to become their best self. Why? Was it because they weren’t hard workers? Or was their luck simply not enough? Or was their feeling of unfulfillment just in their minds?

My mind? In my mind. I believed those thoughts that were being fed into my mind. I asked myself: Would I have said the same things to anyone else? No. I was being unnaturally harsh to myself. My life became a lot brighter when I began living in the moment. I tried to distance myself from my harsh critics…I could live without them for a long time.

Here I am, 2 years after those self-deprecating thoughts. The realization that I am me is deeply ingrained in my head. My life and values are stronger than ever, and I have been reaching my expectations. I was simply believing my lies.