There is a simple question that has plagued me for a good portion of my existence. Are we in control of what happens in our lives, or is it simply fate? It is easy to look at a person's past or circumstance and chalk their future up to some form of uncontrollable destiny. For that person to settle for the cards they have been dealt instead of playing out their hand. I had every reason to settle for the life I was given. I was abused, neglected, and confused about life, and just how a person like me was supposed to live it. Instead of sinking into the miserable shell of an existence that sat before me, I made a critical realization. I am not defined by what has happened to me; I am what I choose to become.