Be Bold, Be Brave

Have you ever felt like sometimes it's easier to blend into the crowd rather than stand up for the person you want to be? I know I've felt that way, but as time goes on you realize what is more valuable, fitting in or being the person you strive to be. Ever since I was a little kid I was always the different one, that person in  every class that marched to the beat of their own drum despite what the norm was. I didn't dress like your everyday girl, and I didn't like the things that others liked. In elementary school it was fun to be the unique outgoing one that everyone liked but middle school became a rude awakening that being different wasn't always welcome. Middle school was all about having the best hair, the cutest boyfriend, the nicest clothes, and suddenly any glimpse of uniqueness you had for traded for the ever so valuable popularity points. In an environment that preys on your differences it was nearly impossible to be my own person without feeling out of place. As the three years of middle slowly creeped by I was again surprised by the new experience known as high school. High school was completely different than I ever expected, suddenly you feel like a small fish in a rather large ocean. I wanted to be bold, and I wanted to be me but I didn't know where to start. In grade 9 I signed up for the human rights and holocaust studies program because I knew that human rights was something I genuinely cared about. The trip itself changed my life and I was encourage to step outside the box and be my own person. I decided to take a giant leap out of the box by recording my own cd to sell for human trafficking relief funds in Calcutta India. When I told my friends, family, teachers, and church members about my plan they all looked at me as this concept was unheard of for a 15 year old. Scared, and excited i began the selling process with no shame in asking people to donate money to the girls in Calcutta. Boldness came to me in the time I needed it most, and it was influenced strongly by something I cared about. I ended up raising over $1200 for girls overseas and without taking a bold step of faith I would've made no impact on the sex trade overseas. Be bold because you can. Don't allow your age to influence the choices you make. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do, be bold because you can.