“I did not break. I burned off the bullshit.”
When life collapses, the first story we tell ourselves is, “I broke.” We point to the heartbreak, the failure, the loss, the rock bottom, and we label it as weakness. We shame ourselves for falling apart, as if breaking means we were not strong enough to hold it all together.
But here is the slap: you did not break. You burned.
What you lost was not your strength — it was the illusions you were carrying. The mask that said you were “fine.” The roles you performed to keep others comfortable. The false peace you built on silence. That is what went up in flames. And yes, it hurt like hell. Fire always does. But what burned away was never your essence — it was the bullshit that kept you from it.
Breaking implies you are fragile. Burning means you are transforming. The fire stripped you down, but it also refined you. It left you with clarity, with resilience, with a core that is sharper and truer than ever before.
So, stop telling yourself you broke. Own the truth: you survived the fire, and now you are standing without the layers that weighed you down. What is left is not weakness — it is the strongest, realest version of you.
More Food For Thought:
What in my life burned away that I once mistook as part of me?
How has the fire clarified who I really am beneath the illusions?
What strength or freedom emerged once the bullshit was gone?
You did not break. You burned. And the fire set you free.
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