Two Important Lessons to Learn Before 2025 Ends

Greetings, Vocal readers! It's been forever and a day since I've written a story on here. If you're struggling low self-esteem and confidence issues, this story might be for you. 2025 will come to a close before you know it. I'm going to share a story about my personal struggles dealing with self-esteem and a lack of confidence. Before I proceed any further, be sure to like this story if you enjoyed it, subscribe to my page, follow me on my social media pages, and please kindly send me a one-off tip at the end of this story, as you'll be supporting creators like me and encouraging us to write and publish new stories.

To those who are new to Vocal and unfamiliar with my backstory, I'll keep it as short and precise as possible. I grew up in Texas and the oldest of three children (younger brother and sister). My now estranged parents were verbally and physically abusive towards me and sadly, I endured the brunt of that abuse on a regular basis. On top of that, I was severely bullied in school, mainly because of my Autism diagnosis. Finally, for context, I'm a gay man. I came out in 2012 to friends before finally coming out to my estranged parents in 2020 in an open letter, while calling them out on their toxic behavior. Those events led me to be more reserved and introverted later on in life. Not only that, but being selective of the people I trust and choose to let in my life. The aforementioned events are the reasons why I have low self-esteem and confidence today. However, I'm in the process of working on building up both of these within myself.

Recently, I had a honest conversation with someone about feeling unappreciated and also dealing with self-esteem and confidence issues at work. I've been working at my current job for nearly seven years and while I do love it, I felt for years that my contributions and hard work were being overlooked and not be acknowledged. I became increasingly frustrated every year and felt disrespected. I'm the kind of person who has a never say die attitude. The person who's eager to learn new tasks and contribute even more within the company. I've emotionally expressed to the person that I was communicating with of the things I've been going through for the past five years, including dealing with the passing of my beloved grandfather in 2022. I took his loss extremely hard, because he was the only relative I grew closer with. After expressing my feelings to that person at work, they were empathetic towards me and told me that the work I did was not a reflection of who I was a person. In other words, it didn't determine my worth. It felt so good to finally hear someone tell me this, because I didn't have any positive influences growing up. I know that I have the potential to strive higher in my line of work, because I want to be a positive example to others, telling them that no matter who you are or what you've gone through, you can make it in life. Just like everyone else, I'm a work in progress. I'm trying to be a better person each and every day.

The first lesson you should apply to your everyday life before year's end is it's okay to stand up for yourself. In life, you have to be a bit selfish in order to pursue the things you're seeking. Whether it's asking for a raise at work or pursuing a career, never be afraid to speak up. Most people, including some employers, see someone standing or speaking up for themselves as a threat or grounds for termination. I put my own career on the line last year, as I was unhappy with the lack of pay raises and was seeking more hours at work. I finally decided to take a huge risk and stand up for myself for the first time in my life, something I was unable to do during childhood. I got what I wanted and felt good to do something scary, yet courageous. I don't regret it and will never apologize for it. While my estranged parents were terrible towards me as a child, one important thing that they told me is to never be afraid to stand up for myself and go for the things I want.

The second and final lesson to apply in your everyday life is you are worthy and enough. Sure, you may not be a millionaire or drive a flashy car, but as I've stated earlier, the career you work in shouldn't be a reflection of who you are as an individual. If someone tells you that you'll never achieve or accomplish anything in life, don't believe them. Pardon my French, but fuck them. You've been through so much shit in life and let me tell you something, you're a badass. They know your name, but not your story. They know your name, but not how determined you are. I saw a quote years ago and it still sticks with me to this day and it said the following: Darling. Just fucking own it. Appreciate the smallest things in life and never compare yourself to anyone, especially celebrities or these so-called "influencers", because they're faking their own lifestyles online to make themselves look good and being dishonest. As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. I'll say this one last time: you are worthy and enough.

As for me, I'm working on building my self-esteem and confidence. At the same time, I'm going to rely on God to help me get through these trials. Yes, I'm gay and believe in God. Don't judge. I know that He'll always be with me and I can overcome any obstacle that stands in my way. His unconditional love for me will never fail and I believe that all things are possible. I hope everyone will finish 2025 on a positive note.