To my past self,

Ah, yes, I remember you: The one who smiled the brightest throughout her younger years. You were the baby and the last born, so you were the princess of the family. You still are. You were such a bright, extravagant child and so full of life.

You befriended and spoke to everyone possible. Some of your teachers saw greatness in you and knew that you were capable of anything. Other teachers saw you as disruptive and a disturbance. They didn't consider you for what you really were: Friendly. That's all you were. You enjoyed speaking to everyone. You were only a child and you were so confused. You've lived through some of the toughest times. You came, you saw, and you conquered.

You have experienced hell. Just when you thought your world was going to come crashing down, you rose from the ashes and became stronger than you ever were before. You loved and you lost. Battles were fought and people were lost. You hurt, you cried, and all for the right reasons, but for the wrong people. You overcame the hard times in life and you made it through, just like I knew you would. We all knew you would.

You always saw the good in people, no matter their intentions, and for that, you became a diamond in the rough. You were one of a kind and you always tried to be nice to everyone. You did your best to make sure no one felt alone and sad. You are and forever will be a precious gem. If you didn't make some of the decisions you made, we never would have made it to where we are today.

To my present self,

We've accomplished so much and we will continue to do so. We've learned our lessons and we are ready to fight fire with fire. We are a fire that has been ignited and can never be put out. We still see the good in everyone, but we no longer settle for second best.

We are worth so much, we are so valuable. We deserve to be treated that way and we realize this now. We have seen the error of our ways and we are constantly striving to do better. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. We are constantly stressed, constantly worrying, constantly contemplating all the "what if" scenarios in our heads, but we always shake off those bad vibes and keep climbing towards our goals.

We work our ass off in our sports, our schoolwork, and our job. We always give 110% and we never half-ass anything! We smile as bright as what we used to and we no longer let other people get underneath our skin. We ignore the negative comments and bad vibes of others, and we keep working to better ourselves. We are happy and can finally enjoy life without caring so much about what others think of us!

To my future self,

I see greatness in you. I always have. I see your future and, my goodness, it is bright. You know your dreams, you've achieved your goals, and you'll only keep going further in life. You will know how to take care of yourself, how to love yourself, and finally — FINALLY — you will have made it. You will have so much to look back on, so much to be thankful for, and you will know the true meaning of happiness. Your friends won't be friends anymore, but they will become family. You will do everything you have ever dreamed of doing. You will travel to all the places you have wanted to visit since you were young. You will find your significant other and you will grow old with him. You will have children of your own, you will love them with all of your heart, and you will tell them about all of your adventures in life. You will have fulfilled your destiny and set out to accomplish what so many people thought you couldn't do.

To my past, present, and future self, I am extremely thankful and proud of all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you will be.