Being kind doesn’t mean life will also be kind to you. Having mercy doesn’t mean it will treat you well, hence they say life is survival of the fittest. I’m an empath by birth, always been good to others, always putting their feelings first. I would break my own heart and fix others with my pieces. People say being candid is a choice, well I didn’t choose to be kind, kindness chose me and it is the hardest thing in this world because people take advantage of you and use you.

I would cry myself to sleep thinking my generosity is the thing that brings me pain. I would often ask myself why am I in this cruel world full of wolves and vultures while I’m just a sweet soul. Whatever I did was never taken into recognition and it hurt me. So I tried to change who I was to fit in with this universe. I impressed the world, praised people and forgot about myself. I become a shell in a sea pushed by waves in any direction, I lost it and went astray. Up until one day I was sitting alone having my me time, when I realised that whatever you do, either good or bad, people will always have something to say, you just have to do what makes you happy.

Yes, I understood situations that were hard to understand, forgave people who stabbed my heart while smiling at me, helped the ones who undermined me, prayed for those who never wished me well in life. I gave a shoulder to lean on to the ones who laughed at me, loved the ones who never knew the true meaning of love, cared for the ones who knew nothing about humanity. I’ve been kind to the ones who’ve been unkind to me, gave too much to the ones who deserved little from me.

My ‘aha’ moment was when I realised I was born to help others. I am a ladder that people need in order to get to the top, water that they need in order to grow and blossom. You don’t need to change who you are in order to fit in this universe.

Sometimes things happen in our lives to test us. Life isn’t an easy journey, we have to go through some rough patches — fall, get up and keep moving. I made mistakes and I had to learn from them the hard way. Some situations we face in our daily lives are meant to build us and keep us strong. People who do us wrong, they are just blessings in disguise. Everything happens for a purpose. God does things deliberately to test our faith and He never gives us burdens he knows we cannot defeat.

Every challenge that comes my way, I now I take it as it is. I know it was meant for me and surely I will conquer it because I know who I am. I am a queen of my own castle. Knowing who you are is an important thing in this world. No matter what comes my way, it will not break me. I will stand firm because I know who I am. I was born to reign supreme.

Tell us: Do you think people can choose to be kind? Why or why not?