Dear Fighter—Your Past Pains Are Not Without Purpose

It is not going to be easy. It is going to be hard, really hard sometimes, but you know in your heart that the best things in life don’t come for free, that they require work, they require a fight. You know this because you were not dealt the easy hand of cards when you were young. While other people were given good fortune on a silver platter, you were scraping dreams together on your hands and knees. While other people were told they were perfect and learning that love doesn’t have to be earned, you were questioning your value and wondering how the love you craved could be so evasive.

But here is the thing: none of these things make you less than anyone else. None of these things make you less deserving of whatever it is that you want; none of these things make you weaker, or less smart, or unworthy. If anything, these things make you stronger.

People who are dealt the challenging hands are the ones who learn to rise to the challenge. People who have faced struggle and adversity are the ones who know how to best overcome it. People who are broken down are the ones who come back unbreakable; they have seen the worst, and they no longer fear it.

The best people are the ones who have had to fight the hardest. The most interesting people are the ones who are multi-dimensional. The most beautiful people are not defined by a beautiful exterior; they are defined by an open and beautiful heart.

You are going to encounter many people who want to break you down because they don’t know how to build themselves up on their own. They will view you as an easy target because you have been broken before. You are going to encounter many people who want to use you and take pieces of you home with them because they think you can fill the holes in their self-esteem that they can’t fill themselves. They will view you as an easy target because you have a generous heart.

But none of that matters, because you are you. You are a very strong you, and you are a fighter. You have not gone through what you’ve gone through to give in now. Your past pains are not without purpose; they are going to help you help other people. You are going to go on to make a wonderful life for yourself, and it will be one that you earned, and one that you will be proud of.

You should already be proud of yourself. You have come a long way and you will keep on going. It is not going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it. You are worthy of all of it—remember that.