I used to be the kid who stood out for all the wrong reasons. With an afro that I was too scared to cut, I became "the smell kid" in school. The fear of change and the uncertainty of something new kept me in my comfort zone. Meanwhile, kids made fun of me, pushing me further into isolation. But even in those dark times, I found a way to crawl out of the rough patches.
Being picked on wasn’t something new. I was often seen as a pushover, an easy target. I wasn’t large or intimidating, and my skateboard was my escape, slung over my shoulder as I navigated the confusing maze of growing up. Girls in school noticed me, but I thought, “I’m not good enough for them.” I saw myself as ugly, someone who would never be worthy of love, let alone starting a family. These thoughts haunted me,
especially as I wandered through the halls of James Logan High School, nursing a huge crush on a girl named Heidi. But when a girl from special education showed interest and I turned away, it wasn’t because of her; it was because I believed I wasn’t good enough for anyone.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was letting fear and loneliness shape my life. I felt like I was on the outside, looking in on everyone else's story, unsure of my place. Music became a refuge. I started borrowing lyrics from others, trying to connect to words that resonated with the emotions I couldn’t express. They felt like my own because they echoed my inner turmoil, a reminder of the loneliness I felt in my heart.
But here's where the story changes. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that our value is determined by the opinions of others—by what they say, by their rejection, or by the cruel things we convince ourselves are true. But those voices are temporary. What’s permanent is the inner strength we develop by choosing to rise above it all.
We all have moments where we feel like we don’t belong, like we’re not good enough, but those are the times when we can dig deeper and find something powerful within ourselves. Over time, I realized I wasn’t defined by the taunts or the rejection. I started to understand that my worth wasn’t determined by someone else's approval or how I thought I measured up to others.
Life is a journey of self-discovery. And while we may stumble and feel lost along the way, we are always growing. Those early experiences—the bullying, the rejection, the self-doubt—they taught me resilience. They taught me to embrace who I am and to stop waiting for the world to tell me I was enough.
If you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt like you weren’t good enough, know this: you are enough. Your value is not based on the opinions of others. It’s built on the moments you rise up despite the odds, the courage you show when you embrace your unique journey, and the love you learn to give yourself.
So let go of the past, let go of the self-doubt. You are worthy of love, success, and happiness. And no matter how tough the road gets, you have the strength to rise above.
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