What happened to you?

Is the question that literally changed my life. Why?

Being a sensitive and creative kid I was used to hearing 'What's wrong with you?', so much so that I started to believe that something indeed must be wrong with me. 

When I went into therapy at the age of 16 however, someone for the first time asked me 'What happened to you?' - I never even considered that maybe it wasn't my 'fault' or 'my unfortunate personality' to feel the way I felt.

I came to understand that there were very valid reasons for me to feel vulnerable and out of place. By understanding why I am the way that I am, I found a strength that I didn't know I owned:

So surround yourself with people brave enough to ask what happened. And be one of them

Instead of judging myself or living by the mercy of people's judgement of me, I cultivated compassion not only for myself but also for my fellow human beings whose ways I oftentimes wouldn't understand.

Even the ones causing me pain. Compassion, for yourself and the other, is where your true power resides.

When you break the mold of judgement, you break the mold to your heart as well, and find that it is big enough to hold the every single person you will ever and never meet, and be.

So surround yourself with people brave enough to ask what happened.

And be one of them.