Isn’t it crazy that who you are today is a result of the thoughts and experiences that you’ve had everyday leading up to right now?
At any one moment in life, “who we are” could change.
We’re a product of every conversation, every person we meet, small experiences, big moments, places that we go...
Everything!
The world is an incredible place, but it’s also terrifying. Much the same as our own internal worlds. They can be so beautiful, but can also get pretty dark.
Throughout your lifetime there will be exchanges that chip away at your self worth. It’s what tends happens in life.
We start off believing that we’re capable of anything, that the possibilities are endless and that we are truly special. But somewhere along the way, we lose that.
Let me tell you what I mean...
In the playground, people will laugh at your “plastic” braided hair and call you a Black Barbie. They have no idea that you’ll cry when you get home and ask your mum to take your braids out. They don’t know that your hair will go on to cause you major insecurities in life.
Somebody in secondary school will tell you that when you smile, your “nigger nostrils” spread across your face. They don’t know that later that day you’ll stare at your face in the mirror through tears.
As an adult, somebody you had never met will tell you that they “thought they’d hate you” and you’re actually not as bad as they thought you’d be.
Many people will tell you that you’re too loud, talk too much, that you’re an “attention seeker” and that you laugh too loud.
A good friend will tell you that “guys like that” won’t like girls with natural Afro hair.
Another friend will tell you that there’s no point in you auditioning for that job because you’re not that good.
A guy you’re dating will tell you he’s not that interested in you, but you’re the next-best-thing to your friend, who he actually likes.
A manager tell you that your job isn’t valuable enough when you ask for pay rise, then hire three people to replace you when you decide to leave.
The point is, people will tell you a lot of shit.
It doesn’t mean it’s true.
People say things for all sorts of reasons that are completely out of your control. And of course, others will take a disliking you just for being yourself.
And that’s ok.
Don’t ever let that stop you from being you.
I have so much love for every phase of you. Every mistake, every insecurity, every breakdown. It’s what makes you, you!
Never let somebody’s opinion of you chip away at your self-worth.
If only I’d known from a young age that my self worth isn’t based on other people’s perceptions of me, but my own perception of myself.
If only ALL of us knew that in the very beginning, we might not carry those words and experiences with us through life as ‘validation’.
Choose to be selective about what makes the cut. You don’t have to absorb everything.
The second that you start to love yourself unconditionally, nothing else matters 💛