Hey little me,
I want to let you know that you can be who you are and be happy because no one is perfect. I have seen you go through many different tough times all in your tween years, but you know what? That all pays off because you have learned from every mistake and every challenge. This journey has made you so good that I am happy with who we turned out to be.
One challenge that I overcame was being too shy or nervous to socialize. I learned that socializing can be fun when you don’t focus on the negative things like what people may not agree or like about you and always have a positive mindset. A positive mindset can make you gain confidence, be more caring, and respectful towards yourself and others. For example, I remember that you met a really good person and turned out to be the best of friends. She helped you gain confidence because she was a very positive person. She spread her positivity by making me laugh, supporting me, and respecting me. She would always make me smile. You know her and the person you have needed in your life was always in front of you so you need to socialize more to notice her. She is someone who is really shy, and doesn’t socialize. You spent a lot of time with her when you noticed that your challenges in life were not as bad as hers. She was going through tough times where she didn’t have anyone to talk to during school and didn’t have any friends. She was so shy that she never socialized with people she had known for eight years. Our school is so little we don’t have that many options for friends. We only had one classroom per grade with at most seventeen students. This made you rethink the way you were thinking about yourself by starting to look at the brighter side of things. Then the problem was very obvious as I started hanging out more than I ever did with anyone else. I never really had anyone to talk to in school either and needed someone to support me, be there for me, and start changing the way I view many things. She comforted and supported me whenever I was out of my comfort zone. She helped me change my mindset to think positively.
But you will have moments in your life where you have to depend on yourself because there might not always be someone there for you waiting for you to fall to bring you back up. So I started to get out of my comfort zone by myself to get used to situations that I might end up in the future. I started to watch videos online on how I could gain confidence. I started paying more attention to how people talk, the way they walk, stand, dress and their point of view in everything. I tried to become like them, but there was something missing because I didn’t feel myself. I felt uncomfortable and lost. I stayed open minded and ready for any advice. Soon I learned that instead of trying to become someone you admire, you should have noticed what you liked about that person and try to make it your goal.
You have to fake confidence until you make it. Dress how you want to dress and put your opinions about yourself first than what others think. In order to do all this you have to learn to respect yourself in order to gain confidence because you have to be nice and caring about yourself. Learn to enjoy and take pride in yourself because you matter. For example, reward yourself for doing something good and doing something successfully. You are a big role model for your siblings and you want them to enjoy living their life to the fullest however they want. If you’re not confident socially then how about by yourself? You may feel uncomfortable around others but when you’re by yourself you do what you love most and you should never be afraid to be yourself in public. You always felt confident about your grades and especially in your math skills. You may not see a lot in yourself but just ask someone you have known for a long long time because they know the real you. For example, ask your siblings. Always remember to stand tall and always be yourself.
Photo Credits: Unsplash.com
Itzel Carreon- DeLaSalle- DMSF Class of 2028