An over-thinker, a go-with-the-flow type, a singer, an athlete, a writer, a believer, a follower, a runner, a single mother, a daughter without a father, a girl with anxiety, a man with a broken heart, an over-emotional type, a person who bottles everything inside.

It doesn’t matter where you come from or what burdens you carry—you need to stop apologizing for who you are.

This is a dizzying world. There are so many wonderful things and people, but so much imperfection. There will be moments that build you up and moments that break you, love that makes you falter and love that makes your heart sing.

There will be people you learn from and people you lose, pain you experience, and euphoria that makes you forget everything else.

But in all of this, you will grow.

You will shift, you will change, you will try to find your path, and you will create yourself, again and again as you go. This is normal. This is life.

Unfortunately, as this happens, you will come across opposition. You will meet people whose personalities won’t mesh well with yours, you will meet individuals who disagree, or even those who flat-out dislike you. And you will think you have to change for them.

But you don’t. Ever.

You will forever be changing, but not for another person. Not for the sake of making things easier, not because you feel forced, and not because of love.

Your existence on this earth is impermanent and your time is too short to let others’ opinions change the way you feel about yourself.

So don’t let them.

Stop apologizing for who you are and just be. Be silly, be strange, be happy, be crazy, be independent, be in love, be unafraid, be nervous, be strong, be okay with leaning on someone else. Be whatever the hell you want. Be you.

It’s okay to change, to become something else, to return to your roots or run as far as you can from them.

It’s okay to make mistakes, to apologize, to forgive, to let go.
It’s okay to be all the things you are and be them proudly.

So please, do just that.