Learning resilience and confidence is an accomplishment that I’m most proud of. For some, these traits come naturally, but these are things that have taken me years to learn.
I was always a shy, quiet, and nervous kid, and that’s how most people knew me. I sometimes wouldn’t even ask to go use the restroom during class out of fear that I’d be disrespecting the teacher during lesson. A lot of my friends and family would tease me for being this way - always pushing me to be louder and more aggressive. But that just wasn’t me. I didn’t know how to speak up for myself, and I had a strong fear of rejection.
Over many years, and with guidance from my mom who always encouraged me to find my voice, I was able to come to the realization that trying new things, speaking up for myself, and being confident wasn’t inherently selfish or aggressive. I could push myself to go after bigger and better things without having to change who I was at my core. I started to speak up for myself and to approach new opportunities with a “what have I got to lose” mentality. Since then, I’ve put myself out there to many organizations, jobs, and experiences. I’ve faced a lot of rejection, but now I know that the only thing I can do is to learn from the experience, and try again.
This accomplishment of teaching myself these traits is something that has opened so many doors for me. It was scary to overcome, but it’s something that I’m extremely proud of today.