You made it this far because you are strong. You’ve been through hell and back. You’ve dealt with toxic situations, toxic humans, toxic thoughts. You’ve even warred with the demons deep within yourself. You’ve faced so many challenges throughout your years, but you’re still standing. You might not feel like the same innocent person you used to be in the beginning, but change is inevitable. Change is what brought you here today.

You made it this far because you are diligent. You work your ass off on a daily basis. You put effort into each and every task you take on. And you don’t always get credit for that. Some people underestimate your hard work. They don’t think you’re productive enough. They don’t understand that sometimes, even the simplest activities can feel like a chore for you. They have no idea how much energy every single day requires, how impressive it is that you’ve come this far and are ready to go even further.

You made it this far because you are independent. You know how to take care of yourself. You know how to survive. You learned pretty early on that the one person you can always rely on is yourself. You don’t expect anyone else to baby you. You don’t need them to walk you through this world. Of course, your family and friends are beyond important to you. You cannot imagine your world without them and you’ve been opening up to them as much as possible lately because you know that’s the healthiest thing to do — but at the same time, you’ve gotten through a lot of your worst moments on your own. You are confident that, if required, you would be able to do that again.

You made it this far because you are adaptable. As much as change bothers you, you’ve dealt with it plenty of times throughout your life. You’ve gotten through heartbreaks, even when you thought the relationship would last forever. You’ve walked away from toxic people, even though you thought they would always be considered a friend. You’ve changed homes, changed jobs, changed paths. You’ve pivoted in order to create the best possible life for yourself. It hasn’t always been easy, but you’ve said goodbye time and time again, and you survived.

You made it this far because you have a pure heart. You want the best for your friends, your family, and yourself. You even want the best for people who have done you wrong. You try your hardest to see the good in people. More importantly, you try to be a good person. You’re always striving to improve yourself. You’re always putting effort into becoming the best possible version of yourself.

You made it this far because you are an optimist. Even though there are times when you feel like everything is pointless, when you doubt yourself, when you wonder whether you’re ever going to get where you are headed, you are hopeful at heart. Deep down, you believe things are going to improve. You believe everything is going to be okay. You believe you are going to make something of yourself. You believe you matter.