Letting go is no easy task, whether it is a friend who you thought would be there for you forever or an argument with your mother that you cannot seem to forget.

There will always be people, thoughts, words, or images that stick to your mind and sneak up on you at the worst of times. Like that time you were exhausted and were ready to go to bed, but the moment your head hits the pillow you cringe at that thing that random guy said to you at school. Or when you are trying to focus on your work and you remember the way those people treated you and you feel just as small and weak as you felt when they were actually in your life.

The biggest lesson that anyone has to learn in life is that not everyone is going to like you, whether it is justified or not, and that even the people who love you the most will not always agree with you. Those embarrassing or painful memories that never seem to leave you alone stem from moments that have helped you become a stronger person. Maybe that friend was not meant to be in your life for much longer than they were. Maybe your mom was right all along and you were just being stubborn. Either way, there are lessons you can take from these memories, whether it is about the type of people you want in your life or how you want to treat others.

Now, there are those moments in life that are darker than others. For me, it was when I thought I had made a solid group of friends when in reality they all said horrible things about me behind my back and abandoned me on multiple occasions. I went through a time when I laid in bed all day, my grades in school were going down, and I stooped to embarrassing levels to try and please the people that were never, ever going to treat me the way I deserved. Sometimes I look back at these memories and cringe and I start to feel sad and lonely all over again.

That is when I remind myself that, today, I am in a much better place than I was. I remind myself of the wonderful, talented and genuine friends I have in my life. I remind myself that I am deserving of better things. I also remind myself that there is always room for improvement, and I can always be kinder, more patient or understanding, and a better friend, girlfriend, classmate, or daughter. Holding onto negative energy only limits what you are capable of being.

I recognize that there are people who have been through far worse than me, and attempting to think optimistically does not always help. To you, I would say two things: One, there are people out there who love you and two, you have a talent within you, and you should express it any chance you get if it will bring you even a moments worth of joy. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to do your very best to either fill your time with things that make you feel whole again or hold on tight to the people who treat you the way you deserve to be treated. That is when your arms will be too full with the happiness you deserve, and you will ultimately have to let the bad things go.