she/her

an open letter for the girl who thinks she's not good enough

Can you tell me how far have you already been?

I bet you can't.

You always work for things to turn out perfectly. You always tend to discredit what you have gone through, for a tiny failure. You always say you're not enough to deserve the things that fall your way, for it didn't end up exactly from what is planned. You always tend to pour out more on the things that have not turned out well, than celebrating your small wins. You exhaust yourself too much, persistently wishing that people around you would just simply appreciate you as much, even if you do less than what they expect.

I see you. But, on the tiny in-betweens of those tireless days longing for an almost-perfect outcome, to make everyone proud, where exactly were you? I didn't ask for those achievements you have received, didn't ask for all those "pass" remarks, didn't ask for those completed tasks, I was asking for you.

Are you getting enough sleep?

Still find a good meal comforting?

Are you allotting yourself some time to rest and breathe?

Society has been so cruel for us to believe that we only matter when we reach those standards for success. That quitting and not being at a thing imply a weak spirit. That not being like "the rest" is less of a better. That your value depends on your ability to be consistent at being your best.

I see you. It's a human sign when things go wrong. It is a prerequisite for being a human to accept that not all the time, the favors will be in our hands. It is, by far, a realization that even working hard for something will not certainly turn things. It is, by far, an experience that we have to let a good thing die, to allow our concealed strengths to come out. Sometimes, life can be confusing and unreasonable but allowing yourself to be in it, allowing yourself to bloom on where it takes you, and allowing yourself to be true to how you want it to be, should never be invalidated.

You don't have to be someone. You don't have to be whatever people expect you to be. Always remember that, even if you don't achieve the perfection the world demands, your existence already has value and is worthy of love.

Hold tight. I see you.