There are some people whose sole purpose once they come into our lives is to leave. They're meant to make an appearance, teach us a lesson, and then go. Sometimes those lessons are painful.

There are the people who won't forgive your past, even when you've done everything to prove you're better than you used to be. There are the people who, despite your efforts, will never come to realize your worth. The ones who gave up. The people who put themselves down, and, in doing so, brought you down with them. The ones who only ever had negative things to say about people who were different than them�. The ones who ignored you for no reason. The ones who didn't try. The ones who said goodbye before there was even a hello. The people who brought you down a path that made you unrecognizable to even yourself. Whether their role in your life was fleeting or long lasting, they were important.

I've made some pretty stupid decisions, and most of those boiled down to the people I surrounded myself with. I've let others influence me into things I am not proud of. I've listened to the hateful words of people who were supposed to be my friends. I've let people take advantage. I've dulled my own light to let someone else shine. Not anymore.

I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to live for me.

No longer will I be the girl who lets others decide things for her. I am capable of thinking for myself. No longer will I be the girl that lets others take advantage of her skills. I will not do it for you; pick up your grown up pants, and do it yourself. No longer will I be the girl that lets the feelings of others decide her worth. So what if you don't care for me? I'm great, and I do not need your validation. No longer will I be the girl who lets others live her life for her. It's my life, and I'm taking the wheel.

I have sat in the background for too long. I have listened to others definitions of me for too long. Weeding the toxic people out of my life taught me that I am so much more than what anyone thinks of me. I cannot control the thoughts of others, but I can dictate my own thoughts.

I love myself and no one else has to.

I love my body the way it is. I love that I am controversial. I love that I am scatter-brained. I love that I laugh too much and too loudly. I love that I love too easily and with all of my heart. I love that I am me. And that's what counts. Anyone else who feels differently does not need to be in my life. Every single toxic person who has entered my life has taught me that I do not need to depend on anyone, that I am perfect exactly how God made me, and that anyone who fails to see my worth is unimportant. I do not need you.