Natalea, When I was 15, I was cut from my high school lacrosse team. I heard through the halls and the school that it was because I was too fat or not fast enough, among other things. It was hard to take in. I felt I had worked so hard to be apart of something I wanted so bad, but had it all taken from me with a few short words.

What I decided to do was to prove everyone wrong, to not give into the rumors and the bad mouthing I knew was going on, but to use that rejection as inspiration to grow stronger, physically and mentally. So I spent the next year doing just that, and when I heard or thought I heard people talking badly about me, I didn’t pay attention to it because at the end of the day, it’s all nonsense, hearsay, stuff that even months from then, and definitely now, doesn’t even matter.

I ended up making the varsity lacrosse team the next year, and proved everyone wrong. As I look back on that experience, a lot of it had to do with the fact that I did not accept my situation as permanent, and I recognized that as I grew older and matured, my life and the things that made me happy were not dictated by others, but were already within me.

I hope that you know that though life can be difficult and seemingly at times not worth the trouble, it has a beautiful way of teaching you incredibly important lessons, some harder than others, but still very important nonetheless. Though it may be hard, trusting people and letting people into your life is so important to healthy living. I do not know what your personal circumstances are with your friends, but I did the same sort of thing when some friends did things I did not like, and I regret writing them off now, for my life might have been a little better had I not chosen to do so.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, it takes a lot of courage. We’re always just a few types of the keypad away!

All my best,

Ryan
The Bully Project Team