To Those Who Didn’t Believe in Me

Dear People Who Didn’t Believe in Me,

Thank you.

Thank you for all the times you asked me to question myself and my abilities. Thank you for laughing at or minimizing my ideas and treating the plans I had for my life and future like they were silly and/or grandiose.

Thank you for all the times you said, “I love you but…” or couldn’t help but list all the reasons my hopes and dreams were likely beyond my reach.

Thank you for projecting your own fears of inadequacy onto my desires to try. I appreciate all of your passive aggressive “support,” while you judged or scoffed at my blind ambition.

Thank you for challenging my self-esteem by threatening my ego and attacking my character. For resenting me because I dared suggest I might be capable of succeeding at something you were too afraid to strive for.

Thank you for removing yourself from my life (silently or dramatically), because I said or did something you didn’t like and you didn’t have the courage or decency to talk it through with me.

Thank you for all the times you put me on blast or threw shade at me via social media in an effort to invite others to join your campaign to destroy my reputation.

Thank you for helping me realize how worthy I am of more by offering me less. Thank you for being such an incredible example of who and what I don’t want or need in my life.

Whether intentional or not, you have played a HUGE role in my becoming the person I am today. Your cynicism has fueled my refusal to lay down and give up SO many times.

Your animosity has strengthened my resolve and forced me to love myself a little bit harder every day. Because you didn’t believe in me, I had to believe in myself. This has made me a much better advocate and leader, and armed me with the tools I’ve needed to build the firm foundation I stand on today.

Thank you for being you, so I could settle into me.

I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.