From the ages of 3 to 15 I experienced severe emotional abuse from my bipolar mother. This lead to me having rock bottom mental health for years. I am barely starting to recover but only after attempting suicide and self harm for years. I can say that recovery has helped me become a strong person but it has influenced the way I think, my motivations, and my determination to get things done. The way I have thought about my future for a long time has been fairly bleak. I often didn't think I would make it this far but I have. I don't often feel accomplishment the same way but because of the way I think I would say I am realistic. I consider what I am good at and the financials that it would take to get me there. I used my talents to build upon my foundations. It is through this negative thinking that I saw that I should be thinking of myself better but to be realistic yes optimistic about what I can accomplish. When I was younger my motivation was to not fail. I had a major fear of failure that lead to me pushing myself to the breaking point to achieve something. Despite how far it got me, it also lead to intense highs and lows that lasted for so little time before I just didn't feel anything at all. At least until something new come up. Then my motivations changed, I wanted to please my family and become a daughter they could feel proud of. It wasn't until my father voiced that he was proud of me that I realized that I was already good enough. Now my motivation is different, I want to better myself for myself, to live a life I am content with. I am a determined person, at times almost to a fault. I want control over myself, my mental health has influenced this determination greatly and my aspirations and relationships have been fueled my this. I am determined to make something work and for greater or worse I am make things work and I do. This prompt has asked me how my mental health has affected my life especially when it comes to my goals and aspirations. It has effected it all. I went from an extreme how to a point where I can feel hope for a better future and one that I can feel proud of. I have goals instead of milestones I feel obligations to fulfill, I desire to feel a real connection with people and form relationships with people. My mental health was ragged. I was depressed, riddled with anxiety, and I was traumatized to where I felt like everything was stagnant and I felt trapped. The recovery of my mental health helped me see a purpose in life, to complete my education and live a life I can feel proud of even if it isn't a grand exorbitant lifestyle like the celebrities and greats we see everywhere today.