When I think about the people who changed my life, they usually aren't the loudest ones. They aren't always family, and they aren't always people I still talk to. They're the people who saw something in me long before I could see it in myself.
Sometimes it was a teacher who encouraged me to keep going when I doubted I belonged. Other times it was a manager who trusted me with more responsibility than I thought I could handle. There have even been complete strangers who said something kind without realizing how much I needed to hear it.
It's funny how one sentence can stay with you for years. We often remember criticism because it hurts, but we remember encouragement because it gives us something to hold onto. There are compliments and conversations I still think about today, even though the people who said them have probably forgotten.
There were moments in my life when I questioned everything about myself. I wasn't sure where I was going, whether I was making the right choices, or if I was capable of becoming the person I wanted to be. During those seasons, someone else's belief in me quietly carried me forward until I could find my own.
That's one of the reasons I try to encourage people whenever I can. You never really know where someone is in their story. A few kind words might seem ordinary to you, but they could become the thing someone remembers years later when they need it most.
Looking back, I'm incredibly grateful for every person who believed in me before I was ready to believe in myself. I hope one day I can be that person for someone else.