Having faith in myself isn’t easy. People say, “Just believe in yourself,” like it’s simple, like you can just flip a switch and suddenly everything feels right. But it’s not that easy. To me, having faith in myself means trusting that I’m enough even when everything in my head tells me I’m not. And honestly, most days, I’m not sure I am. I mess up a lot. I let people down. I lie sometimes even when I don’t mean to. I overthink, I hide behind smiles, and I act tougher than I feel. And when I look in the mirror, I don’t always like the person staring back.

I’ve been through things, hard things, the kind that change you. I was adopted, and life before that wasn’t easy. Still, I’m here, and that’s something. Sometimes I think maybe that’s what faith really is: surviving the days that should’ve broken you. My mom reminds me of that. She’s the strongest person I know, and when she tells me she’s proud of me, I feel like maybe I can breathe again.

When I’m playing my cello, it’s one of the only times I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. It’s like the world slows down, and I can finally hear myself as the real me, not the scared one.

If I really had faith in myself every day,  I think everything would change. Maybe I’d stop being afraid to fail. Maybe I’d finally believe I’m enough.

Maybe I already am.