I was raised in a working class family. We didn't always get along, my parents marriage deteriorated and it created tension within the family that made it very unpleasant at times. I had issues at school, I never really had many friends, but I had plenty of people who were out to cause problems for me. When I started high school, I was attacked twice in my first few weeks after one of my relatives from the troublesome side of the family, who was also attending the same school, saw to it that his friends made life hell for me. It wasn't until I switched to my third high school that life began to look up a little. Then the family split and I ended up without a high school diploma and almost homeless for a while at age 18. I had to support the remainder of my family, find a job, relocate to a new home on the very outskirts of town and start all over again.
I never wished that I never existed though. There simply wasn't enough time to. I had to turn issues into affirmative action, or risk falling further.
I eventually found some incredible people who stood by my side and brightened up my life. When I moved far away, those closest friends by chance moved with me. When things became difficult financially, we restructured our spending and made it work. I had to commute for 2 hours a day to get to work, but I persisted, and it eventually paid off when I had enough to relocate into the heart of the city and start again on much better terms. I still consider those years to be the most character building years of my life so far.
I'm 21 now. These days, I still face challenges. I work as an Apple Technician, but I don't feel truly inspired by my job, and it feels incredibly tedious. I've always been single. I have studies ahead of me that will be difficult, but not impossible. I have a lot of rebuilding to do to get to where I want to be. I always look forward to my future though and now, more than ever, I'm confident that I'm headed on the right track.
Whether you faced difficulties growing up, from environment, health issues, living arrangements or people you had to deal with, it's important to remember that the people that have constantly had to battle their way through are the ones with the most experience, character and personality. Some are our best and brightest, some are our most resilient and determined.
