By Ava Moga, TIWP Student

It’s hard to know who I truly am
with everyone else’s lives swarming around me,
constantly comparing myself to my friends, family,
even the random people who I pass in the hallway.

It’s hard not to compare,
even knowing that at the end of the day
we want different things.

It’s hard not to compare yourself
to how someone looks or acts,
what they do, what they wear, the things they get.

It’s frustrating that the voice in my head will always tell me
that I’ll never be as talented, kind or smart
or plainly, that I’ll never be enough. 

It’s only a few times when the switch goes off in my head
and tells me to stop listening,
not just to that annoying voice
but to the annoying voices around me, 
telling me what to do and who to be.

Sure that they might have their best interest 
and some good intentions
but those ideas will never be enough. 

They will never spark a light in me
like the things that I actually want to do. 
They won’t bring up an inner smile or a laugh or a feeling of excitement
or even a sense of safety. 

But most of all they won’t show me that
the person I actually want to be
is right in front of me,
waiting to be embraced.