If I must live with my inner demon, I’ll just invite her out for coffee. We’ll sit down to discuss all the ways I am utter garbage. We can reminisce over all the embarrassing things I’ve said and done, her reasons why I’ll always fail. She’ll try to convince me that my dreams will only crush me, and that I should just give up.

I will listen and stay silent. Refuse to argue with her petty lies. Slowly sip from my cup and smile, letting her exhaust herself with her ramblings. Then I will kindly remind her that she hasn’t defeated me yet and tuck her back inside the corner of my mind where she loves to whisper at me in the middle of the night.

I will never let her win.