The Promise I Keep to Myself

Some days feel like progress.

Others feel like pause.
And then there are the ones where every step forward feels heavier than the last.

I used to think that by now, I’d be there 
Wherever “there” is.
More confident. More accomplished. Less… tired.

But I’ve come to understand something.

This journey?
It was never meant to be easy.
It was meant to shape me.

Not with shortcuts.
Not with perfect maps.
But with moments that test what I’m made of.

I’ve faced setbacks.
I’ve questioned everything.
I’ve thought about quitting more times than I’d ever admit out loud.

And yet here I am.
Still moving.
Still choosing this road.
Still becoming.

Because no matter how long it takes,
no matter how many detours I face,
I will complete it.

Not out of pressure.
Not to prove anything.
But because this path means something to me.

And I refuse to leave my own story unfinished.