08/23/2026
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐
Letโs be honestโmost of us have no idea who we actually are.
I know that sounds harsh. But think about it.
We walk around with all these labels:
Mother.
Partner.
Employee.
Friend.
We have roles we play, stories we tell ourselves, and a whole bunch of voices in our heads that weโve picked up from other people.
Their opinions.
Their judgments.
Their fearsโdressed up like theyโre looking out for us.
And we let them write our story.
Why?
Because itโs easier than picking up the pen ourselves. Because sometimes we donโt even realize weโre living someone elseโs version of us.
๐๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐โ๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ:
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
I learned this one painfully.
When I was younger, my art teacher told me I really didnโt have a stitch of artistic talent in me.
Just like that.
A casual comment that probably meant nothing to himโand everything to me.
You know what I did?
I quit.
I put down my pencils. Stopped trying. Walked away from something that actually brought me joy because one person told me I wasnโt good enough.
And I carried that with me for years.
Iโm not an artist.
I canโt draw.
I donโt have talent.
I made it part of my story. It wasnโt just something he said anymoreโit became who I believed I was.
I didnโt even notice how much Iโd closed myself off.
Iโd see beautiful paintings or sketches and feel this ache in my chest, but Iโd push it down.
Thatโs not for me.
Thatโs for people who can actually do it.
And honestly?
I look back at that girl who quit, and I donโt feel angry at her. I feel sad for her.
She was just trying to protect herself the only way she knew how. She didnโt know that one personโs words didnโt have to be her truth.
๐จ Then something shifted.
Years later, I wanted to try again.
I found a teacher. Actually, two teachersโboth working in different mediums of paint.
And they didnโt tell me I had talent.
They simply taught me what I didnโt know.
Patiently.
Without judgment.
They showed me technique, encouraged my mistakes, and slowlyโpiece by pieceโI started to believe I could.
I remember the first time I sat down to paint again.
My hands were shaking. I was so scared of being terrible that I almost didnโt start.
But I did.
And I made a mess.
And somehow, that was exactly what I needed.
๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐.
๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ.
And somehow, the confidence followed.
And you know what?
I surprised myself.
Iโm actually pretty good. Not perfect. But I create things now that make me stop and think:
I made that.
I wish I could go back and show my old teacher what Iโve created.
Not out of spiteโjust to say:
โYou were wrong. And I almost let that stop me.โ
But what hurts most isnโt him.
Itโs not the comment.
Itโs all those years I lost.
All those years I believed I wasnโt capable. All those quiet evenings I could have been creating, exploring, and discoveringโbut instead, I was sitting in the corner of someone elseโs story, shrinking to fit their version of me.
I kept waiting for someone to tell me I was good enough before I allowed myself to try.
But that permission never cameโso I had to give it to myself.
Thatโs what we do.
We let other people hand us a script, and if weโre not paying attention, we spend years performing a role that was never meant for us.
Now, Iโm not saying we should shut everyone out. Thatโs not it at all.
Some of the people who love us the most see things we canโt see in ourselves. And sometimes their wordsโeven when they stingโare a gift.
So how do you tell the difference?
Because honestly?
Thatโs the part I still wrestle with.
Someone says something about me, and I feel that little twist in my gut. I have to pause and ask myself:
๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐?
๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ?
I donโt always get it right.
Sometimes I still catch myself shrinking to fit someone elseโs idea of who I should be.
And I have to stop and remind myself:
Thatโs their storyโnot mine.
I wonโt lieโsometimes that old voice still creeps in. The one that says Iโm not a real artist.
But now I know how to talk back to it.
I tell it:
Thatโs not my voice. Thatโs his.
But hereโs what Iโm learningโand this is the part I wish I could tell my younger self:
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
The right ones will water whatโs growing in youโnot trample it.
They wonโt hand you your worth, but theyโll reflect it back until you can see it for yourself.
And the ones who donโt?
Theyโre just walking around with their own filters, their own pain, and their own stories that have nothing to do with you.
So if youโre sitting there right now carrying someone elseโs words like a weight, I want you to hear this:
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง.
โ๏ธ You get to pick the pen back up.
Even if itโs been years.
Even if youโre rusty.
Even if youโve told yourself itโs too late.
I picked mine up after decades.
And the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.
โจ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
Right nowโbefore you scroll past thisโtake thirty seconds.
Write down three words that describe who you really are.
Not who youโre supposed to be.
Not who youโre trying to become.
Just youโright now, in this messy, beautiful season.
Sit with those words.
Then ask yourself:
๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐?
If the answer is no, thatโs okay.
Thatโs just information.
Thatโs just a starting point.
Iโm still figuring it out too.
Some days I feel like Iโm starting over from scratch. But I think thatโs the point.
Not arriving.
Just keeping the conversation going.
So who are you reallyโbeyond the labels, beyond the voices, and beyond the stories youโve been handed?
What would it look like to give yourself permission to become that person?
Drop your three words in the comments or send me a message. โค๏ธ
Love always,
Susie
www.susieadcock.com