When My “Negatives” Became My Greatest Strengths.
Once, a teacher asked us to write about our positives and negatives. I remember staring at the paper for a long time. Not because I had nothing to say, but because I had lived too much to pretend anymore. When I finally wrote, my positives looked uncomfortable on paper : selfish self-centred obsessed with myself against society someone who keeps strong boundaries. When my teacher read it, she looked at me with doubt. She asked if I was sure those were my positives. She reminded me that I was human, that I should have values, empathy, and concern for others, and told me not to be selfish. But I stood there, confident in my answer. Because what she saw as flaws were not qualities I was gifted with. They were qualities I survived into. I wasn’t always like this. I wasn’t born selfish or self-centred. I was once a people pleaser who tolerated too much and stayed silent for too long. I carried others’ comfort at the cost of my own peace. That version of me paid a heavy price. The...