I am a strong and independent person who is steadfast in my beliefs and I will not be swayed. When I am passionate about something I put my all into it and will defend it with all of my being. My opinions and beliefs differ from those that I grew up around and they are always changing. I am often loud, over the top and I speak with no filter. I don't apologize anymore for who I am.

I have always struggled with not sharing the same mindset of those around me, struggled to convert my opinions to match theirs on controversial topics. I wanted to be like them, I wanted to be accepted. Trying to change what my heart believed wasn't successful, in the end I did not get the acceptance I wanted and I did not feel like I belonged in my own skin.

Then, one day I woke up. I realized that I am my own person, wonderfully and fearfully made, and that I am free to have my own opinions and beliefs regardless of whether my friends or family shared them. My perspective is world is my own and it is unique and I offer no apologies for sharing it. I am free to be myself, accept myself and love myself and being myself draws in people who actually value me instead of people who have no concern for me outside of school, work or church.

I give no apologies to people whose opinions differ from my own, I don't shove my opinions down your throat so don't shove yours down mine. Relationships should not be torn apart due to judgement on issues that won't matter months or years down the road. People who care about you will not break you down and make you feel like less of a person just because you have a different perspective.

I offer no condolences to those who try to belittle me in sake of their ego and to seem like they hold a moral high ground. I know where I stand with God and I am finding out who I am. You have to lose yourself before you find yourself and I'm learning more and more about myself everyday. I know what I do and don't stand for and I know where I stand in the world and with my God. Don't tear other people down just to build yourself up, you're taking away pieces of your own soul by doing that.

I love who I am and what I stand for, I'm not going to change. I refuse to ever change who I am and how I view the world in order to please anyone. I'm not sorry for not being what or who people expect me to be, the only thing that I'm sorry for is the narrow minded. I am so sorry that you have to live with such a little heart and such little understanding for the those around you. Don't tear other people down just to build yourself up, you're taking away pieces of your own soul by doing that.