One of my friends once told me, “This city has already chosen its winners. Why even try?”

My rebuttal was, “Why choose to die, why face an early death due to limiting your next breath and your next step based on a false pretense or a sequence of events that haven’t even taken place?”

I didn’t need to be chosen by others to win because I looked in the mirror a long time ago and chose myself as a victor after what I immediately saw within.

Although, at first sight I was blinded by my inner light so much that I struggled for years with the internal fight to keep it hidden, a forbidden essence, a presence so bright I had to shield it from others with all of my might. I also feared the darkness around me would extinguish what I saw, so I wanted to protect it in case it was not respected, or if after revealing it to others, they didn’t feel connected.

I soon came to understand that the vast amount of darkness around me is powerless, because the power of just a fraction of what I illuminate is too great for it to devour. I also came to see that what waits to flow out of me can actually overpower the darkness. Just a small spark is enough to enlighten the frightened as I take steps with the impact of a titan!

I don’t need to be chosen by others to win because I’ll ascend to the heights that I set and forget about any limits given birth through the doubts of others. Those doubts belong to them and no other. Their fears are not mine to discover…so now it’s time to shine.