I've recently felt a sort of lack of confidence in smash and the line between playing because I like the game vs. playing to win felt blurred. Excellent video, wonderful timing! very insightful and I hope to see more videos like this
It's less obvious than most would think: mentality isn't "huge", it's EVERYTHING. All improvement, in any endeavor, requires fundamental self-reflection, self-introspection, acceptance, and forgiveness. Easy to spell out, immensely difficult to go through. Love yourself, that's the only path through the pain. 🙏 Profound video, Ramses. Thank you! 💜💪🏼
I remember Daigo saying something along the lines of "No matter how good or bad my placing is I am always playing the best I ever have, because to assume otherwise would mean there is nothing left for me, as my peak in self improvement is behind me" The part of the video about trying to blame your losses on "Oh I was playing bad beat me when I am in problem solving mode" reminded me of that heavily. Incredible video Ramses
As someone who has quit competing because of severe anxiety issues, putting too much self worth into it and perhaps struggling with my ego, this has been very refreshing. Especially "wanting to be the best being a symptom of underlying motivation" hit quite hard and is something i should figure out before i ever start again. Thanks for the video ramses
The part about detached emotion (playing bad or not caring on purpose) as a way to cope and not taking ownership of losing felt like a direct callout. It’s something I’ve caught myself doing a lot in the past. There were a lot of deep cuts here but that’s we grow stronger. Great video, Ramses.
Just what I needed before SmashCon. As someone who can relate in so many ways, it can feel really lonely as a competitor. Why we do what we do. But when you're feeling that intense adrenaline of a last stock situation, you know that this is what you're here for. Thank you ❤
11:45 HE WON LET'S GO (I was so invested in the match I didn't pay too much attention to what was being said , I had to rewind it like, 5 times 💀) But omg, the brain not focusing on winning to protext our ego resonated so much w/ me....Especially in friendlies when I struggle to play properly and follow my gameplan.I know I'm in that "Ego protection" state, I have no reason to do that, I am well aware that I'm wasting my time and I will never improve and reach the level I'm visualizing if I keep doing so, but it's so hard to detach myself from that mode. And then when you combine having a bad autopilot + this bruh it's OVER. Nice video man !!
I’ve picked up this game and have been playing obsessively for almost three years and I’m 36 years old, I have a career and just got a kid. Why do I put my time in this? I feel like the unrelenting desire to achieve excellence is what drives me to play this game over and over. Playing this game has been a mirror to all the buried shit thrown right back at me with every loss and disappointment. But ain’t nobody gonna break my spirit. I play for self learning. I play for humility and understanding for both myself and when I see that same striving in others from the community. It don’t matter who you main. It don’t matter the win and loss ratios. I get my ass up and keep climbing that mountain. Thanks for the insight bro 👊. I’ll be up tomorrow try harding with my Link and Sheik setups.😤 Peace!
Thanks for this, mate. I stopped competing in Smash a while ago, but still play chess regularly. Lately, it's felt like I've had something to prove nonstop, like a single loss shows that my work is wasted. I completely forgot why I played in the first place; the beauty of the game, and the joy of improving. Glad this was able to remind me
Hey Ramses. It’s hard for me to ultimately say what this video meant for me. A lot of what you said reflected how I felt in my personal life, not just in smash. Many of the lessons you learned through the game I learned through other experiences. Still, there’s some smash specific stuff that did apply for me personally too. I had a monthly today. In my region of Manitoba, Canada I’m ranked #4 currently, the lowest of the J fource (we call it that because Josh James Joe and Jamin are all top 4 and are noticeably higher than the rest of the region lmao.) This seasons been really different though and I’ve had a shot at #1. I really wanted to win this tournament because it’d put me on a much steadier road towards being the best. I ended up getting second, which is still totally okay. My record against the other 3 is solid and I’m still solidly in contention. But now you have me asking why I want to win. Id never stopped to think about it I guess. Before it’s just been because I love the game, and because I have an ego that wouldn’t allow me to admit others are better than me, be it from insecurity or pride i don’t know. Eventually it became because of the love of improvement. Improving is the most amazing feeling ever and seeing it translate into the game as I get better and move better and think more consciously is addicting (which for me with an addictive personality, I simply can’t stop lmfao.) Now that I’m nearing the end of at least my in region improving, I’m stopping to ask myself why? It’s really weird but, I don’t know if I have an answer now. I guess it’s just been for the attention, to have people finally respect where I’m at in this game which is something that’s eluded me forever. But that doesn’t feel like the reason either. Correlation not causation. So what is the reason? I told myself for a while it was cause smash saved my life more times than I can count (having struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts my entire life) but that also just feels like a mask. So why’d I really do it? I think it’s just for the thrill of it, really. I was a theatre kid in high school and I acted in a lot of local and high school plays. Nothing was like being back stage and feeling that thrill before going on stage and performing, as well as making so many common interest friends through the plays we’d put on. I guess smash is the extension of that for me. It’s the thrill of competition, no matter what the success or suffering you feel. And it’s also the community build along the way. I think that’s why I really do it, a thrill added to my life that wouldn’t be there, wouldn’t make me myself if it hadn’t been. My life would be boring and empty without that thrill, so here I am coming back for more every time no matter what happens. Thank you Ramses. It makes sense to me now. If anyone in this thread wants to talk about stuff like this, smash or life related, hit me up on Twitter. @KodraWasHere. I’d love talking to people about this. Thanks for making it this far, whoever you are.
Fellos theatre kids unite! Thank you for sharing your reflection. Considering that you do something purely for attention is a weird place to be, but being able to seriously entertain the thought is a sign of wisdom to me. Best of luck trumping the J Fource, and thank you for watching!
Reminds me of an lsd trip. You could pretty easily replace game/competition with life and the video is even more valuable. It’s that mentality that helped me become a professional artist and even being a good father. Thanks for coming back after the hiatus Ramses.
As someone who has competed at the highest level in a previous sport but was never able to fully fulfill my goals, this video resonates with me. I was never able to accept responsibility for my own lack of preparation or mental fortitude and blamed others or the 'system' for my losses. I feel like even though I am not as far along as I'd like to be in smash, reflection on previous competitive experiences has brought me to a place where I can more easily take responsibility for where I am and enjoy the game for what it is and for the sake of improving. Thank you for the fantastic video!
This video feels not targeted towards competition to me, damn. More like... learning to live and get better at living. There were so many parts that resonated with me outside of Smash or any kind of competition in here, I have no idea what to say. Thank you and perfect timing, I needed that right now. And not primarily for Smash.
Mentality is so an overlooked concept in esports that doesn't go into enough detail like this. It's all about shifting perspectives which you mentioned in a past video. Would love to hear more of your thoughts on this topic. Especially, since everything you've mentioned in this video and many of your others are lessons of life. Thanks for all your work Ramses. Your work has a meditative qualitative to them and I appreciate them for letting me take a pause and reflect better.
As someone who is looking to study sports psychology in college and am just starting my competitive journey in this game (I’m going to ssc as my first in person tourney) This video is extraordinarily eye opening, part of me finds the topic so interesting yet at the same time it’s scary to acknowledge the truth of all of my struggles being a reflection of my self, it makes me feel like I’m at the bottom of the Dunning Krueger curve which is exciting since the only place to go from here is up.
This was an eye opening, enlightening experience for me. I must say that it’s hard to talk about these things, much less teach them in an understandable, absorbable way. In my opinion, you have the best way of coming across to most players and helping start that way of thinking. Thank you Ramses for all that you’ve done for this community.
I still actively compete and I'm very thankful for the amount of personal growth I've been able to go through cause of smash. Having no one to blame but yourself makes you question why you feel the way you do, why the lost set matters to you the way it does, etc. The sentiment of the other player being a reflection of you yourself really resonated with me cause I've been thinking the exact same thing for years :>
Personally, I saw a lot of my own struggles in this video. I also tended to externalize my struggles early on. Now I see competitive smash as a way to help confront my lack of confidence, which is my biggest issue. It's always been an issue for me, even before smash. I'm making small steps but looking back I'm already in a much better place. I think this is a great video. Very brave of you to put it out there. So big kudos to you for doing that. I think your journey was (and still is) very impressive to me. I think you realized a lot of things that I wasn't able to without help. You should be proud!
I got a lot of help! Now I'm paying it forward. I'm very happy to know you, Godot. I have a lot of respect for your journey as well. Good luck during your climbs!
Hey, you said you didn't know who this video was for- it's me. I'm one of the people it was for. This video was a reflection of my entire growth, not just as a player or competitor, but as a person. It was a reflection of the entire process and the entire cycle of pain and growth and understanding. It was every post and talk I've had that could be compiled into hours of discussion boiled down into 10 minutes of content. There was a lot to learn about myself, who I was, and *why* I played. This video caught me at a time where I have lost sight of that, and have been searching for that. Even when we find those things, it's still a cycle. It's a vicious one. But, it's one we all have to go through, and I believe this content helps the entire community. So thank you. -Sharp02
It's less of a cycle and more of spiral staircase. While we revisit similar themes, we'll have grown by the time we revisit them. Glad this resonated, Sharp02. And thank you for sharing!
At this point in my career for about 10 years or so competing, I believe I lack of a goal or something that drives me to "be better", but I cant stop thinking I can do More. I believe It Is really hard to give up, specially when you love the game so much. You video does really good to put in words what It feels like, so I appreciate it. For some reason, I feel motivated after watching this.
Just an incredible video. I certainly identify with a lot of the struggles over finding what you want internally, as someone with shifting priorities that only sometimes include Smash. Thank you for this, Ramses
As someone who's between many transitions (leaving my country and my friends with it, fixing my relationship, saving for a career) I've been getting these nerves and struggles and you put it in such greats words. At least now I've realized that my struggles are a reflection of me, being in the game and in my life and what I could work in
I'm someone relatively new to competing (in melee not ultimate), but this video was very interesting because competing is always a battle between you and what someone want to be that's measured by how tournaments go and how one performs. Very well done Edit: I'm a little over a year and half of competing, but these thoughts, even in the short time, have come across my mind just for context
the reason I avoid locals at my area is because I always trying to find what winning and losing meant to me (as you said in video) but this vid really opened my mind thanks ramses
Great video! Smash and the competition around it is a big part of my life. How I perform is often the deciding factor of "Will I feel like shit today or not?". I have competed for around 3 years now (with a big break in 2021 bc if covid and smaller breaks throughout the years, but still a lot of time for what is in the end "just a game") and I still haven't accomplished anything. I still go 1-2/2-2 most of the time while other players win tournaments and get on the PR. I really think that facing yourself is the hardest part, but also the most rewarding part of competition. I am far from perfect. Sometimes I rage, sometimes I complain about my seed, but one thing, just one thing makes me proud: that I still haven't gave up on my dreams yet. I will definitely rewatch and share this video, feeling like there is a lot to learn from it!
This video gave me the motivation to keep trying to be true to myself even if nobody else sees it my way. I know what my goals are and I'm prepared to achieve them, but it's made me more confident in myself and the decisions ive made thus far to get to where i am. And i think finally, while Accepting others into that Improvement process, whether it means you through our two coaching sessions, or my day to day coach (when i was more active) I shouldn’t lose that sense of self, even if they ALSO have my best interest in mind, because at the end of the day. What's the point, unless you are content with the journey you are traveling. Thank you Ramses :)
A lot of what you said in this video I feel like it runs parallel with something’s I experience in my personal life. I love the thought provoking video Ramses. Thank you!
Great video @RamsesEsports! It reminds of the heart of the Stoic philosophy. Don’t be outcome dependent. I can completely control 2 things; my actions and my mindset. In practicing this philosophy, I’ve found so much more joy and freedom in life(smash included). I’m not thinking about the future and living in the moment. As a result, I work harder. Learner’s mindset all the way.
Just finished watching. I think this is a really heartfelt that does resonate somewhat. The feeling of loneliness that you can feel at the top, the sacrifices required to do something you love. Although like you said, It didn't have an exact target audience. I think it's something that could be used as a measure of what to expect if you're reaching towards the top in a competitive environment.
I wasn't expecting a reflection video, but seeing your perspective on leveling up and understanding competition as a player has helped me solidify/understand stuff better as a player myself!
Lovely to get some insight on ur competitive experience throughout the long term and how you've changed as a player to adapt to different challenges. Great video!
I was really, properly lost in this narrative and the storytelling. And then I saw Smash 4 Cloud nair in the footage. And just like that, I was back in reality.
As a 16 year old who has just entered his third tournament last week, the first part of the video hit kind of hard, I have noticed from the first to third tournaments, I have seen a change in how I handle losses, In the first tournament, I didn't think too much about it, and by the third I knew exactly where my shortcomings were in the losses that I had. I think that growth is slow, but will happen if you keep putting effort into your practice, and my own practice will hopefully help me to do better and get better placings. Luckily I haven't had a loss that has hurt much yet. (mostly matchup checks) but with more time playing smash that will hopefully change.
I really like this video, and the idea that every opponent is a reflection of you and yourself. I've done a lot of thinking, and my goal for Smash was never to be *the best*, it was to have a story. I've never wanted to be the best because I'm simply not willing to put in that level of training into the game anymore, and never grinded towards that goal - and I think that's ok. I just want to be able to do my best, whatever that may be, and keep growing. And then one day, maybe I will have a story to tell - or better yet, a story people will know. That's the kind of validation I want; it's not about results for me, nor has it ever been. When I started, I wanted to have just one great moment. But I've discovered Smash for me is about the community and experience now, not the gameplay. Smash has enabled me to give video game concerts to big audiences, to travel around Europe, meet amazing people all over and give me countless opportunities and experiences I never would have had otherwise. I'm happy to play for the sake of playing now, because a tournament isn't just about playing for me. A tournament is an experience, and a result is just another stepping stone on my journey - but the real "result" is much more than the gameplay. Thanks for the discussion!
"That is, if you stop complaining about Seeding" THANK YOU! I gotta say most of the Video was a bit too cryptic for me to really talk about it, as many Metaphors didn't quite translate to something more tangible for me. But as someone who loves Smash as a Game, and in that by itself finds his Reason to compete, and as someone who can wholeheartedly say that Smash is the one and only Game that I never tilt in or get depressed by (except for online lol), I want to strongly agree with the Sentiment to worry more about yourself than about others or the System. You can complain about K Rools Belly Armor, Mario on Yoshi's Story or whatever Cheese you can come up with all you want. In the End, that is the Game we're playing, and blaming the Game for having its Quirks or the Opponent for "abusing" them will lead to nothing but Frustration for yourself. If you play a Low Tier, don't complain about your Character being so bad when you play it just to strengthen your Ego whenever you win and protect it whenever you lose. Play what's most Fun for you and overcome the Challenges that await you... If you get seeded too low, prove that you deserve a higher Seed. I know it practically often doesn't work like that, but: If you were to beat everyone, your Seed wouldn't matter anyways. Just play and see where you get. I like talking about my Motivation or Tilt-Protection when it comes to Smash, because what I hate most is not being in Control. Uninteractable Combos in most other Fighting Games, Strong Random Elements in other Games, or unpredictable or moody Teammates in Team Games. Smash doesn't have that. Aside from *very* few Cases, Smash is a deterministic Game. Hitboxes look how they look, you are not "lucky" to have gotten hit by a Sour Spot, you and your Opponent caused the Scene to play out exactly like it did. If I get beaten by my Opponent, I got outplayed, and I can't blame anything but myself for that. When I portray that as something positive, I often get met with the same Answer: "Yeah, that's the Problem why playing Smash frustrates me in the first Place". Maybe I don't have the necessary Ego to comprehend that, but I really, REALLY cannot get behind that. If you've legit got literally nothing but yourself to blame, that means you can *always* improve and overcome! What can there be to stop you if that's the Case? It's never the Case that you are just held back by something that's not in your Control, hence I never feel the Need to get frustrated (and why online does tilt me, since the Change in Input Delay makes me feel like I would have regularly reacted in-time offline and got scammed by online. Or how if my Teammates do dumb Stuff in LoL and Enemies start snowballing and statchecking me, I may not need to blame myself but it feels incredibly bad to lose and not be the one that caused it, but the one that ends up suffering from it anyways). From then on it's simply a Matter of what you brought up in the Video: How important really is it to you, and how much are you willing to suffer for it? If you get beaten by someone who's much better than you, you *could* look back on your Mistakes and improve to beat them back next Time. Or you feel like the Hours you will be investing and the Energy you'll have to put in are not worth it for you. Either is fine, but what's important is to come to a Conclusion that will leave you satisfied. Even if you choose the Latter, discard your Ego and accept: "I am not good enough to beat that Person, and that is fine, since I don't feel like investing as much Time for the Game as that Person likely did." Mindset is important, and at least in my local Area, most competitve Players are constantly trashing the Game for Bullshit and Cheese, never letting you win morally and unable to celebrate Victory of someone else it seems. It's honestly dragging me down because I feel like even if I end up succeeding in this Environment, I will have nobody to share my Success with... I very often wonder why so many People play this Game to begin with, honestly. Anyways, those were my 2 Cents. Thanks for the Video! And good Luck with Competing! It was nice seeing actual Ultimate Tournament Gameplay from you!
@@RamsesEsports Thanks for reading, I love how active you always are in your Comment Section! Despite the general Mentality, I really liked your Point at 4:53 about playing against yourself and losing because of bad Execution or insufficient Understanding on one's own Part. It made me think for a Moment, about the Fact that "I'm playing against a really good Player" in the End doesn't really matter, since even then the Answer could always be to just 'be better' yourself, if that makes Sense. It's always a Treat to see you upload! Peace!
Love the video and hope u can continue to release similar ideas. You have loads of exp and knowledge to give out. Nobody has really been in as unique of a position as you so being able to provide ur perspective and journey for others to see is amazing
For me this video serves as a reminder that everything that I do and for whatever reason is me doing that event. No matter what decision I make (in or out of smash), I made that decision and must face the consequences. I then have the critical decision of How much do I learn from this, if anything? I'm reminded of a Q&A I saw from Peanut Little Mac. When asked how he improves and doesn't get frustrated when say he dies at 0% he said that, 'well, I shouldn't have wenr in there or I should have used a different move.' In summary this video showed me the meaning of accountability. Only I can take accountability and only I will know whether that accountability is beneficial.
The part where you say as you get better it feels more lonely... I'm starting to feel some of that, I can only imagine what some players go through with this feeling, as I get more higher caliber wins it feels more likely with every win that my opponent takes the loss super personally, my feelings of appreciation often get overshadowed by some people's internal struggles, I just wish to play with honor and I truly want to win and experience the best set possible with my opponent... I am very aware of my origins playing melee with my sibling and why I play smash, I hope to meet more people who are comfortable with their personal ideology of playing like yourself, I haven't met many who seem confident in it yet.
Yknow, I’ve had a weird relationship with smash but the whole time, the underlying overlap has been my absolute adoration for competing. As a freshman in high school I would sit in the shower and imagine improving in a straight line, being this good by this season beating x player at y tournament and maybe, someday, I’ll even be pr. Then whoopsie, covid and other things caused me to have a 2 year break from playing the game entirely. Come this summer I derust and get back to competing and love it all the same, but my priorities are massively different. Before smash would be a massive chunk of my life, playing 6 hour sessions online with friends and having a blast (even if I wasn’t gaining any skill from it cuz they were lowkey much worse than me) and now I literally don’t touch the game outside of tournaments. There was a little bit of a voice nagging in my head telling me I need to be doing more to improve, but after this video, I really don’t think so. My priorities are different, and what I love is competing, not necessarily being better than others. Being PR or winning in general would just help me compete more. That’s the goal, PR is just one of the many forms the goalpost takes. Thanks, Ramses. In 2 weeks, I’ll be moving 2 hours south for college. I’ll be in a new region, with a smash scene just as popular as the one I’m in now, and while I may be swamped with work in college, i can still get excited about making new friends and playing new people, solely for the sake of competing. Sure, I’ll learn new things along the way and improve certainly, and that’ll feel nice, but that’s just the goalpost, not the goal. As long as I’m competing, whether I’m a threat in my region or I’m a chronic 0-2er, I’ll be happy.
This video really resonates with me and I don’t even play competitive smash. As you climb your own mountain of personal growth, the less you relate to the “masses” stuck on the bottom. In my personal case, this mountain is a career in artificial intelligence. In my first data science job, I’ve made numerous sacrifices in support of my goal because it’s necessary to keep climbing. In any goal you don’t just have to “want it” - you must be willing to make sacrifices and fully commit yourself to that goal. That is something many do not understand, and is why many do not ascend beyond the foothills.
As a former software engineer - I understand this completely. The field is so competitive and people give their lives for work. As per the quote in the video: "How much are you willing to suffer?" I hope you find a path on the mountain that makes you happy Julian! Thank you for watching :)
Amazing video, what you're saying really resonates with me, but I'm not exactly sure why yet. Competition really gives me a huge goal, that I'm not sure I'll ever overcome, but the journey to whatever that goal is have helped me to improve so much, pushing my confidence in being able to succeed. But it also brings a lot of suffering, showing me how long I still have to go, how sometimes I hold myself back, reflects on all of my negative aspects of self. At the end of the day though, it is all worth the suffering. In this world, is man able to posses anything more solid than a dream?
I deeply enjoyed this video and I am not sure exactly why. I have competed in many things almost my whole life, I love it so much. I also have no love or hatred for the ego that comes with competition. I don’t try to kill it, but I don’t covet it either. The feelings of it all keep me coming back. The love for the ups and downs; loving the good and bad days. I don’t know, this was cool though. Great video.
Glad you enjoyed the ride so profoundly, Eric. Non judgemental observation of what's going in is a very solid place to be. A mind like a mirror, as they say in Zen Buddhism. Thank you for your comment!
This is a very nice video. I really enjoyed it. When I first started playing competitive smash (played all smash games but started playing competitively about two years ago when quarantine ended) I really just needed a hobby to get out of the house. I was in a dying relationship with someone who saw less and less value in me and my interests every day and when quarantine was over, I knew I wanted to find a hobby. I had watched Wi-Fi tourneys over the course of quarantine and I wanted to give locals a shot when they came back. I was one of those “better than their friends but 0-2s at locals” fs. Smash was hard. Like my local scene here in San Diego is talented and don’t hold back. And I had a blast getting destroyed. Lmao, not something you hear often but for a long while I went 0-2 to everything I want to. Months actually. Then I started hitting combos, getting a win here or there on a game. Then a set. And eventually it became a rare occurrence of me going 0-2. And something occurred to me. I had to work for that. Most of y’all here might “relate” to that. But I had to earn all of those win. I went from having a 20% win rate to 50%. It took a long time to turn that around. Now lil side track. I practically never had to work hard for shit in my life. I literally cheated on every single one of my high school finals and passed. My mom and dad (divorced lol) have both had good careers and have taken care of myself and my siblings. And I just work at simple jobs to pay for some bills and my food. But there was nothing in my life that I had to dedicate time and effort to improving at. At some point last year. I got like 3rd or 4th in a stacked local of mine and I drove home stoked out of my mind. I was jamming down the freeway, playing music from smash. Just stoked to be alive. I had an amazing time. And I started to burst into tears. Not because I lost. But because I realized this is something I want to do. I want to keep competing. It’s a blast. Smash brothers has been the gift that keeps giving. It gave me something to do once me and my ex broke up and I needed to get out of the house. I went to play smash 2-3 times a week for months. And I put my mind to something I love doing. Smash brothers has been the gift that keeps giving. I met a lot of my current friends through smash, a community that recognizes me for the person I am, not just with my smash skills (I’ve never made PR lol) I’ve got to travel with these people and make memories. And I get to enjoy all of these luxuries while playing a game that wraps up about 60-70% of my video game childhood in a bow all together. Video games the video game. All that being said and back to the subject at hand, you are right about a lot of things. Like the “oh it was me playing bad and not Me” in order to not damage ego. And obviously everyone who attends a local, regional, major, what have you, is trying to be the best. But it is a symptom of an underlying desire. My desire for improvement. To keep working at something I love. Because I’ve never worked on anything else so hard in my life. And this is something I have a blast doing. And “being the best” would be a result of all this effort. Cause if I don’t make it to the top, what was it all for? Why did I start? Just to get out of the house? To try my hand at being sweaty with a “children’s family game”? I suppose one the the reasons I did this is, well, because I wanted to. Reasons have come and gone throughout this journey. You are right about another thing too, people relating to you less and less as you continue this process, this journey. My ex didn’t get it. Most of my family and coworkers just know me as “the gamer guy”. But for me, this whole journey has been so much more than that. And for now, I’ll keep going. I wanna see where it takes me. On a final note. Your video is about the cruelty of competition, and you may have noticed that, for the most part, this comment Im leaving has been describing a healing and positive experience. Because while it was cruel, difficult, and sometimes made me want to give up entirely, competitive smash has become one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I’ll probably keep playing smash until my hands stop working. If you made it this far, thanks for reading this. I love you ❤️
The cruel part is also found in the beauty. Going through that many hardships for the sake of growth feels unfair at times, but it's oh so worth it. Congrats on your journey, and thank you for sharing it!
