I am not you. And you are not me.

Yet why do I treat myself like we’re one and the same?

On August 21, 2018, my column regarding embracing working on yourself and being the best you was posted.

My advice was so ideal back then.

Ideal and virtuous.

Yet to me, my own mantra devolved, becoming somewhat meaningless, light and fluffy, lacking the substance I once so intensely believed in.

I poured my heart out into that column, so proud of the values I was vouching and advocating for, hoping it would be of aid to any fellow Redhawk feeling lost and perhaps worthless at times.

Little did I know that it would fall on deaf ears when it came to myself abiding by my own lessons of guidance.

The toxic mentality of comparing myself to others crept in, making itself more than comfortable in my mind, feeding off my fears and insecurities. Imposter syndrome also sometimes sets in as well during these times.

It becomes so easy to wonder how I felt so empowered at one point to believe in myself and then at other points, during turbulent times, I struggle to find self-worth, looking to others and their experiences to quantify my value.

The duality between my confidence and my lack of it, however, is natural. We’re always in constant battle between reigning our negative thoughts and cultivating our positives. It’s never going to be easy, and that’s the most reassuring part to remember when you hit your rough patches.

Knowing and being aware of your outlook on life and yourself is the most important part. We may not always be the person we need to be for ourselves, but at least being alert of it and trying counts for a lot.