Where I End, and You Begin

At one point, I pretty much had no idea what the word “boundary” meant, in a personal sense. If you told me who or what I was, I believed you wholeheartedly. If you said I was smart or pretty or cool, it was true. If you said I was bad or selfish or somehow messed up, I believed that too. I didn’t know who I was. I was looking for you to tell me.

Thankfully, those days are behind me. I have a good sense of who I am and who I’m not. I know I can’t change myself or act any differently than who I am and expect good results in the long-term. I can only be who I am – and I know there’s a lot of good in that person. I know there are limits too, but I’m OK with that. None of us came equipped without our share of flaws, but it’s all a part of our whole.

Very recently, I finally came to believe one very important thing: There isn’t anything on this earth – no situation I encounter, no victory, no loss, no material item, no relationship – that’s going to increase or decrease my inherent worth.

My wish is that you, too, will come to believe this for yourself. You have value, you have something to contribute. You have a right to be here.

Please know this, if nothing else. Know it, and believe in it.