Since I decided to get involved in politics last year, I’ve noticed a pattern.

People call you crazy for speaking up. People get angry at you for your beliefs. People judge you for using your voice while they stay silent themselves.

But if you truly want change, you have to be willing to step outside and fight for it. I will never understand why so many people sit on the internet tearing down the very people who are actually trying to make a difference in government and policy. Especially people who are not career politicians.

Do you know how hard it is for an everyday person to step into politics? It costs you friendships. It costs you money. It costs you opportunities. It puts your entire life under a microscope. Meanwhile, career politicians can spend years telling people whatever they want to hear while never truly changing anything.

The truth is, it takes courage to stand in your beliefs publicly. It takes courage to risk failure, criticism, humiliation, and loss for something bigger than yourself. And usually, the loudest critics are the people unwilling to take those same risks themselves.

So to everyone out there fighting for something, building something, speaking up, believing in themselves even when people laugh at them keep going. Don’t let bitter people convince you to stop dreaming, stop trying, or stop believing you can make a difference.

I’m here to lift you up.