Its always hard to sum up how much you have grown,

or how far you’ve come over the past year in words.

Think about it –

By now, you’ve Learned so much more about yourself.

The things that matter the most to you.

Those that make you happy.

Where your passion lies,

And what your next goal is.

You seem to have it somewhat figured out already. You have a new plan.

A new vision.

And you’re ready to do whatever it takes to turn that into reality.

So you start to take a mental note.

Scribble on your board.

Re-focus all your energy.

Nothing can stop you now.

You can feel it.

And you start to believe in yourself,

a little more than you used to.

Because only you know your story.

Your journey will always be your biggest secret.

Because we as human beings never really find it easy to share

What we truly feel.

Or all that we have been through.

The world that surrounds us sees only a glimpse of it all.

They see your strength.

Your courage to take risks.

Your willingness to work hard.

Your gratitude for all that you have.

But the truth is, we all learned it somewhere, in our own ways.

How to be brave.

How to not give up.

How to appreciate the tiniest moments.

And as we did, we felt all kinds of emotions-

Happiness, pain, love, hope, and despair.

But you stand wherever you are today, because of one simple thing-

A choice.

To try harder. To challenge yourself.

To push through the times when days felt too long.

And nights where your thoughts kept you awake.

So when you look back and try to measure

The Difference between then and now,

Remember this-

Maybe you’ve traveled a lot further from where you began.

Maybe you’re still taking baby steps and you haven’t made it to where you want to be.

But whatever it is between the two,

You made it here, and that’s all that matters.

And that’s what always will.