Dear Past Self,

One day you are going to find that resilience is your best friend. You will see that in the darkest of days that no matter how much that light is not shining to you that God will help you along the way. Angels will be there to guide you along your journey. There will be many times when all you want to do is just give up. Yet, in this resiliency you will see dreams come true…dreams that you will accomplish because you understand that what does not kill you will make you stronger. Your life has not been easy. It is never supposed to be. Although life may seem easy, you will see how much bullying you can take and not take. Here is how you will know.

I know there were times when you felt like you were not good enough, and I remember the struggles you faced between 1997 and 1999. There were nine guys, and only four of them were true friends. The others made you feel small and humiliated you in front of everyone. I remember you playing front yard baseball, and when you said you were going to quit, they asked why, just so they could pick on you again the next day. I remember you riding your bike across the golf course, slamming it down and crying because it was all so hard to deal with.

I know that this will affect you in the deepest of ways. Time comes and time goes, but even where you face adversity there will be times that are fun that seem real to you. You will find out all along that those fun times you thought were good end up being toxic. Toxicity is common. It is common throughout this life in all aspects of so-called friends.

Even in fun moments, like playing ping pong, Jeopardy, or basketball, they still found ways to pick on you and make you feel less than normal. And even a year later, when you were watching a show, they found a way to spoil it and make it worse for you. I remember you going to the gas station, getting a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, and realizing that you wanted to leave that behind because they were never going to change.

You showed incredible strength by writing letters to each of those bullies. In both letters, you started with the words, “I forgive you.” One of them tried to justify his actions and share his opinions, and while you ended up connecting on social media, he never truly became a friend. The other bully laughed in your face, and you stood your ground, knowing he did not deserve a second chance. You let them both know that if they ever treated you poorly again, you would not hesitate to stand up for yourself.

In the midst of all of this, you never lost sight of your dreams. Years later, you tried out for a national dance show and made it to the top 38 out of a thousand dancers, fighting through three rounds to be on national TV. You also auditioned for a national singing show, making it to the top 300 out of three thousand singers, reaching the producer round and coming just one step away from being on TV.

Your journey did not stop there. You poured your heart into writing an inspirational book of reflections, a project that took 15 years to complete. In that book, you shared one of the most important lessons you learned: life is about how you face adversity, and we all have a choice to fall or rise. I hope that you soar.

Falling down is simple. Getting back up is strength. Rising to the occasion is paramount. Failure is one of life’s biggest lessons. You must fail to succeed. Success is many things. They talk about the journey and destination. You will realize that success is not measured by what you accomplished but by how far you have come to get there. You will then realize that success is measured not by the length of time it took you to get there but by seeing how much heart and passion has produced a glorious result through repeated effort and discipline.

Sooner than later, you will look back not at the failures that dragged you down and beat you down, but you will look at the things that helped you rise to success. Remember no matter how far you go in life that you will never stop learning about yourself and the people around you. Life is a gift, and you cannot waste it. Look at it as a present for a kid on Christmas day. You will finally see that resilience is your best friend. You will see that angels and God did guide you along your journey the entirety of your life.

So, hold your head high and know that you are worthy, you are strong, and you are destined for greatness. Your future self is proud of you, and I cannot wait for you to see all the amazing things you will achieve.

With all my love and compassion,
Your Future Self