Growing up I never really paid those type of people much mind. Their opinions of me didn't bother me, in fact they didn't bother me in general. My high school had some mean girls for sure, as every school does, but most of the "mean girls" in my school liked me. Now whether or not they truly liked me or said mean things about me behind my back I'll never really know. But the first time I have ever felt victimized by real-life mean girls was college.

This was super hard for me, but at the same time it was a lesson I needed to learn. In life, we all come across mean girls, or just mean people. The lesson I learned though was how to rise above it. It hurt though, it hurt really bad. Not going to lie, I spent many nights awake crying and thinking about why certain people didn't like me. I internalized their actions and made it all about what was wrong with me and why I wasn't good enough for them. I can't tell you how many times I called my mom in tears, just trying to understand what I did to deserve such humiliation and bullying.

This is where the lesson lies though, it was never about me and it will never be about me. It's about the mean people's own insecurities and their own shortcomings. They feel as though they will not be fulfilled until they have pushed you low enough to break you.

So to the mean girls and to the girls who have been victimized by them, you don't need to measure up to anyone else's standards. You are good enough just the way you are. Don't give the mean girls the power they desire. And mostly, don't ever change for anyone or anything, no matter what.