In life, we have friends that don't always last forever. We meet people who we never talk to again. All of these people that we meet will always have a memory of us that lives on in their memory, but we are constantly evolving and changing. So, who we are in their mind may not be how we are now.

I know I have former friends and acquaintances who still think of me as being co-dependent, lazy, and shy. When I think about that, sometimes I do feel a little embarrassed, admittedly. But you know what? I shouldn't feel that way because I know who I am now and how much I have grown and evolved into the amazing person I am today.

I shouldn't dwell on the past and who I was back then because who I was shaped me into the person I am today. I learned from my experiences and being aware of my actions, characteristics, and flaws. To dwell on the past means I'm not focusing on my present and future self and that's just not healthy. If we nitpick on everything we did and said when we were younger and made ourselves feel bad about it, that's not going to do us any good.

Who I was a year ago is way different than present me and I'll probably tell myself the same thing next year. I realize nobody may know the real me. I probably don't know the real me. There's a quote that says, "The person you think of as yourself only exists for you". I see that to be true. Every person I meet creates a version of me.

I'm grateful for every version of me. They are all so unique and different, and that's a beautiful thing.