I was a doormat for everyone - I taught people that it was ok to trample me and anything that I believed in. I never fought for what was right or wrong, or even right or wrong for me. As long as you still liked me and stayed with me, I was fine. I was ok to have my core values run over roughshod in hopes that I was accepted. Looking back, I can see that this ran against the grain of who I was, and that it shredded me up inside, even if I couldn't verbalize it then.
Today I have a different outlook. I have my values and beliefs that are mine, and with that, my dignity and integrity. I no longer mold myself after what I think others want me to be. I quit playing the chameleon. As I learn to assert myself, and to create and hold to boundaries, my once shattered self-esteem and self-worth begin to grow and respect for myself grows too. I never thought I could be in a place like this, but the steps and my HP have given me what I need to build.