Life has a way of throwing us curveballs and circumstances that you never saw coming. If someone had asked me as a kid where I thought I would be at this point in my life, never in a million years would I have predicted my path. I just celebrated my 45th birthday and I must admit, I’m pretty darn blessed.

I’ve always been good at marching to the beat of my own drum. I was never a follower or cared much about what other people thought of me. There were times while I was in school, people said things to me *or behind my back, that really hurt my feelings. I always remember thinking that when people were mean and cruel, it was definitely a reflection of the bully rather than myself. I grew up in a loving home with amazing parents that taught me to be the best human I could possibly be and treat others the way I want to be treated. Like everyone else, I’ve had my moments and in no way, shape or form am I claiming to be the perfect human. But what I learned from a very young age was to embrace who I am and what I want out of life and don’t think too much about what other people think of your choices or path. You only live once and this life is YOURS to live, not for other people to question or judge.

Life is short. Very, very short in the big scheme of things. Through my devastation and obstacles, I have never lost sight of who I am at my core. I don’t respond to negative social media comments, as I don’t care about them. I also learned from a young age if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. We need to start creating positive platforms for people and stop judging and question how others live their lives. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At the end of the day, what legacy will YOU leave behind and how will you be remembered? Write your own story now so it can impact others positively in the future.

“You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough.” -Mae West