Flourish

They told her she wasn’t smart enough, and she believed them.

They told her she wasn’t strong enough, and she believed them.

They told her she couldn’t do it, and she believed them.

Someone told her they were wrong. Someone believed in her, and told her she could do it. Someone gave her the courage to try… so she did.

Afraid of failure, she started with little things… and wondered how long it would take her to fail, because she still didn’t believe in herself. She was still held captive by all the things she’d been conditioned to believe about herself… the voices that mocked her for years still echoed in her mind, and grew louder with every drop of confidence she started to feel.

But she didn’t fail. She succeeded. And that gave her the strength she needed to keep trying. The echoes became fainter, her confidence grew, and the day came when she heard the echoes no more.

She was free!

They barely recognized her. She walked with an unfamiliar lightness of step, her head held high, with a joyful smile on her face. Their hold on her was lost forever. Someone believed in her, encouraged her, and she flourished, becoming the woman she was always meant to be.

And, oh, how she shines!