For a long time, I thought something was wrong with me.
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Why didn’t everyone like me?
Why did some people drift away even when I tried so hard?
Why did being myself sometimes feel like a mistake?
I used to replay conversations in my head at night 🧠
Did I say too much? Was I too quiet? Did I sound rude?
The truth hit me slowly — and honestly, painfully:
I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.
And I was never supposed to be.
I softened my opinions.
I laughed at jokes I didn’t find funny.
I stayed silent when something hurt me.
Not because I agreed — but because I didn’t want to be disliked.
I thought being adaptable meant being mature.
What it actually meant was losing pieces of myself, one situation at a time.
One day, I understood something freeing:
People don’t dislike you — they dislike how you make them feel.
Sometimes you remind them of what they avoid.
Sometimes your boundaries make them uncomfortable.
Sometimes your growth highlights their stagnation.
And none of that is your fault.
I stopped explaining myself to people who already decided who I was.
I stopped shrinking to fit into spaces that required me to disappear.
And something strange happened…
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The loneliness felt lighter than pretending.
Because being alone as myself felt better than being surrounded while feeling invisible.
When I stopped trying to be liked by everyone:
I realized I don’t need to be universally accepted.
I just need to be real.
Not many.
But enough.
The kind who don’t flinch at my honesty.
The kind who don’t require a performance.
The kind who choose me without conditions.
And that only happened after I stopped auditioning for everyone else’s approval.
Please hear this:
You are not too much.
You are not difficult.
You are not unlovable.
You are just not meant for everyone.
And that’s not a flaw — it’s protection.
I’d rather be someone’s strong cup of tea than everyone’s lukewarm water ☕✨
💭 If this felt like it was written about you… it kind of was.
🤍 You’re allowed to be yourself — even when it costs you people.