What's Something You Wish You'd Learned Earlier?

I wish I had learned earlier that life is too short to spend time on people who don't value me and that it is okay to prioritize myself first.

On several occasions in the past, I have found myself in friendships that, more often than not, left me feeling small, unvalued, and dismissed. Nothing hurts more than sitting there silently as your “friends” talk to each other as if you’re invisible, even though you are directly in front of them. Or realizing that your "friends" have intentionally neglected inviting you to an event or outing. Perhaps, worst of all, being vulnerable and sharing personal problems or details about your life but ending up having your feelings brushed aside, invalidated, and disregarded by the people you thought you could trust the most.

Looking back, I wish I had learned earlier that friends are people who are supposed to build you up, not bring you down. I wish I had realized my value and recognized that I am deserving of true, genuine, friendships. Of feeling accepted. Of being appreciated for who I am.

If I could go back in time and talk to my younger self, I would tell her that she should never have to change herself to fit in with others. I would try my hardest to make her realize that true friends are the ones who love and accept you for who you are. Altogether, I wish I had learned earlier that putting myself and my needs first is not selfish but necessary. Maybe most important of all, I wish I had learned that I should dedicate my energy towards people who genuinely care for and uplift me because, in the end, we only have so much time on this earth. I want to choose to spend it with people who truly see me and accept me for who I am.