To the Ask Lara readers who read and believe in my words, this one is for you…

This past week I had the honor of going to one of Taylor Swift’s concerts, and I walked away with thoughts and concerns that I never thought Taylor Swift could give me. Yes, I’m a big fan; but, no, I did not think that a 25-year-old pop star could make me question everything I have written up until now.

Recently, Ask Lara has been receiving more and more questions, which was the original idea for Ask Lara. I wanted to be that voice of reason readers needed, that older sister they always wanted, and that friend who gave them honest advice.

At one point in the concert, Taylor Swift gave this heart-warming speech about how you shouldn’t measure your accomplishments by other people’s. She explained that comparing yourself has become so easy because of social media, but that shouldn’t bring you down and/or stall you from what you want to accomplish. Say what you want, but the girl knows how to speak to 15,000 people, because I am very guilty of comparing my lack of accomplishments with other people’s received accomplishments.

Now, this is where me questioning everything came into play. Readers, 2015 has been a crazy ride. Even with my rollercoaster of a year — including a very recent and hilarious visit to the ER — I have managed to take all of these odd and crappy experiences and write them up so that someone, anyone really, can read them and realize that everyone’s life has their highs and lows.

But how do I sit here giving advice to readers while my life only has loose ends? How do I make a reader confident that my words are going to help them when sometimes I can’t even help myself? Taylor Swift has millions of people watching her every move — seeing all her heartbreaks and all her downfalls — yet she expects us to believe that her words about being optimistic about life are sincere; and, lo and behold, we do believe it. A 14-year-old girl next to me was bawling her eyes out during the speech as I was taking notes on how to be confident with your words and how to inspire people.

In an odd twist, I’m going to bring one of my favorite writers, Sylvia Plath, into this. Sylvia Plath didn’t mind showing her struggle with depression through her writing. Although her depression eventually got the best of her, the reason she is one of the symbols of tortured souls is because she meant all of her words and truly believed them.

She’s believable because she lived what she was writing, and although she helped people, she couldn’t help herself. Through my own writing, I hope to help people as I help myself.

So, if anyone had any doubts in my words and my feelings — and by anyone I am also referring to myself because no one doubts me more than me — know that you can be confident in my words because I have lived them and have struggled through them.

Let’s be honest: We all want to make some sort of difference before we leave this wonderful planet. So, to any writers who want to help people with their writing, believe in your words and believe in yourself before you expect anyone else to, and then hope for the best.