There are lots of different lessons that I've learnt throughout my (albeit - short and a bit messy) lifetime on this earth. I know that different experiences have influenced my life in different ways, and I've taken little bits of knowledge from each situation I've ever been in.

That's how life works, you see.

We learn, we adapt, we change. That's how we grow.

In my years during Primary/High School, I experienced a lot of different bullying. I was bullied over my appearance, the fact that I was related to my brother (who was picked on excessively too) and just simply for 'not fitting in'. And, honestly, that kind of thing messes with your head for the rest of your life.

Bullying leaves you feeling unworthy, feeling alone, and feeling like every little comment that left you feeling 'worthless' and 'ugly' and 'fat', is completely true.

I have days where I'll replay moments of me being left out of games in Year 6 in my brain, or I'll hear someone calling me a 'weirdo' when I'm feeling down. I'll look in the mirror and remember nasty comments one of the 'popular' girls said about me or I'll remember how hideous I felt in the girl's changing room during PE.

These are the kind of thing that really stay with you.

But, in life, we can either let these things destroy us, or we can fight back. We can either let people tear us down into tiny little pieces or we can glue those pieces back together and create something, bigger and better than before. We can decide that we want to prove those people wrong, show them just how incredible we can be, and finally get rid of that 'unworthy' feeling.

"Grow from the dirt they left you in"


So, what I'm saying is: we need to use what they've done to us, and learn from it.

They've left us sitting in the dirt, and now we need to use that dirt to grow and blossom.

When I think back to teenage girls calling me 'fat' or excluding me from things, I just look at myself now, growing in a career that completely revolves around images of myself and the way I look, as well as being accepted in such a wonderful creative industry.

Or, when I think back to feeling inadequate in school, like I'd never be as smart as my brother (who's always been a total genius) I think about how now, my writing is read from people's laptops, from people's phones, and it helps people, it's relatable for people and people enjoy it.
My writing is good.

Life is a total bitch sometimes - especially as we grow up - but as you get older, you realise how much that 'bitchiness' can empower you. You can channel all that hurt into something brilliant.

So, if you're out there, and you're crumbling to pieces, put those god damn pieces back together. Build yourself back up and show people exactly how much fight you have in you.

Even the 'smallest' 'quietest' 'loneliest' people can do brilliant things.