I've been a welcome mat my entire life. The one you clean your feet off on before you step inside. I'm the one people push around and throw their words at because they believe I can take it. They do this without a second thought because I've never said anything to stop them. Recently I decided I didn't want people to make me feel inferior. I didn't want to be a welcome mat. I'm human. I have feelings. I get hurt. I get upset. I make mistakes. I'm not perfect, I never claimed to be. I can't always take it.

    So I decided to stand up for myself, tell people that I didn't want to be stepped on. To make them realize I'm human and I deserve the same respect. I had all of my friends encouragement to help me. They showed me how to stand on my own two feet. But I soon realized that after I started standing up for myself people thought I was mean. Me. The girl who had previously let them walk all over her. By being a welcome mat everyone else was happy but I was miserable, standing up for myself I was happy but everyone else was miserable. I never realized what a fine line it was between standing up for yourself and being mean. Learning the difference is a long and difficult road but it is worth it. I'm working on learning the difference so that I don't have to let myself be put down, but at the same time I'm not doing it to others and justifying it by saying I'm standing up for myself.

    There is no sense in being a welcome mat but there is even less sense in being a no trespassing sign.