Not a Failure, Just Me [OC]

Why do the moments I once held close now feel like wounds?

Why does something that once made me proud now feel like a failure?

There was a time when everyone was happy.

My parents were content—maybe even proud—when they saw my marks.

But now, that pride seems to fade, not because I failed, but because someone else did better.

Why does that comparison steal away the joy I once felt?

Why is what I achieved no longer enough?

Why can't it be celebrated just for what it is—a result of my hard work, my late nights, my quiet determination?

I’ve always tried. Truly.

Maybe I wasn’t the top scorer.

Maybe I didn’t get into the course you once dreamed for me.

And no, I didn’t become the doctor you once imagined I would be.

But does that mean I’ve failed you?

I wonder if I ever truly made you proud…

Not just proud of my marks or milestones, but proud of me.

Proud of the way I kept going even when it was hard.

Proud of the way I never gave up, even when it felt like the world had already moved on.

All my life, I’ve carried the weight of your dreams, not because I had to—but because I wanted to.

Because I love you. Because I wanted to make you smile.

But somewhere along the way, I started feeling like I wasn't enough.

Not for the world. Not for myself. Not even for you.

And that breaks me more than anything else.

I know I’m not perfect.

I may not be the topper, the doctor, or the star student.

But I am trying. I am learning. I am growing—slowly, but surely.

I just wish that, sometimes, that could be enough. Just Me.

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