Paul

“Growing up I had a lot of time by myself and was really quite isolated from my peers, part of it was because of the fact that I was a bit of a soft-hearted kid. I never really got along with the rowdier crowd of boys in the back of the classroom. I was the target for a whole lot of bullying growing up, because I was quite different from a lot of people my age. There was the physical and social isolation, but there was this mental isolation too. I had to grow up a lot faster when I was a kid because of my upbringing and family situation. This led to me having these tendencies to be as small as possible, to cause the least amount of trouble and be this “perfect” kid for my parents. I was trying to be someone who I wasn’t, not only for my own personal safety at the time but to keep the peace in my family. I didn’t know who I was and struggled with my own Identity.  It’s taken a lot of work for me to be able to get to where I am now. Someone who has true connections to the people he values in his life, someone who is a lot more certain about who he is and where he stands in the world, someone who sees value in himself and the things he loves.

I’m a lot more myself and I actually recognize the person I see in the mirror now, someone who I’m proud of and is trying his best every day. I am still learning more and more about myself and this day learning to love every piece of myself not despite of who I am but because of who I am. I hope in sharing my story, I can encourage people to be their true selves. Because nothing is more precious in this world than people who truly love and see you for the person you really are.”