Life is hard. This is not the first time that you are going to hear this, and it won’t be the last. But don’t lose hope.

I was trapped for years in a part of my life that I honestly believed I was never going to escape from. I had let myself fall deep into a hole that consisted of not voicing my true feelings and letting myself become a welcome mat.

I let my voice be silenced by someone who should not have even had one. I was at a point in my life where I doubted that I had any strength left within me, and I surrounded myself with someone who did not encourage me to find it.

I was at a dark part in my life – a part in my life where I thought that it was normal to feel unhappy almost everyday from the words of one person – a part in my life where I thought that being unhappy with someone would have been better than being alone – a part in my life where I believed I was not worth it.

If you have ever felt this way, know that you are not alone and you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Have the courage to let go of something that is not helping you to become who you are meant to be. It will be hard, but it will be worth it.

If you have not heard this from any other person, hear it from me, and then believe it: IT GETS BETTER. When you're in the darkness, it's hard to believe that - I know - but it gets worse before it gets better. Remember, it takes a certain amount of darkness to see the stars. I promise you, you can make it through this. Whatever it is that is giving you trouble right now. You can make it through.

Life gets hard, and life gets discouraging, but life should never get to the point where you feel worthless or like the world would be a better place without you in it. Because when you let yourself believe that, you are stealing the greatness straight from under you before you have the chance to discover it.

I made it through this part of my life. It took a lot of fighting and trial and error, but I made it. Take it from me. I know it sucks, and I know it’s hard, but nothing and nobody can silence your voice. Never forget that. We all have stories that are worth sharing – that should be shared. Do not let your story go untold.

You are strong enough to make it through your life – it was given to you for a reason.