When you're in a relationship, you're either going to get married or break up and both are scary.

But sometimes breaking up can turn out to be nothing but a blessing in disguise. It gives you back all the opportunities you missed when you were busy being distracted by who you thought was the "love of your life."

I've had my heart broken, or better yet, shattered. But that's what shaped me into the person I am today. I was too distracted in that relationship to focus on myself, my hopes, my dreams, or my anything. It was all about him. But when I woke up one morning and realized that the only thing I had left was myself, I decided to change.

I learned that you can only rely on yourself for your own happiness and if you can't be happy alone, you definitely won't be any happier in a relationship. You might feel happier, but when it comes down to it, you're still not loving yourself anymore. So I took a look in the mirror and I said it's up to me now. It's my life and I need to make the most of it from here on out.

If we never ended things, I wouldn't have the confidence that I have today. I wouldn't have left my comfort zone and done the things that I wanted to do for myself. I never would have been this open-minded and I surely wouldn't have many friends as I have now. I wouldn't have made any of these changes in myself or in my life and I'd still be living my life for you. But now I'm living for me. If I do something, it's because I want to. If I go somewhere, it's because I want to go.

So maybe we didn't end on the best terms, but I'm still glad we ended because I never would have made it this far without learning to love myself. Now that I do, I smile often, I laugh every day and I've finally mastered the skill of turning a negative into a positive. I set goals and I achieve them. I talk to people I don't know and I make friends with them. I do things that make me happy and I cry only over school, instead of you. I'm happier than I've ever been and so thank you, for breaking my heart, because, apparently that's what it took to get me to where I am now.

I'm finally whole again.