When I was younger I considered myself to be fearless. I believed I could accomplish anything. I stood up for what I believed in, even if that meant standing alone. As I have grown, I still believe this, but there was a point where my actions lacked representation. Maybe this was because I didn't believe my voice was loud enough for others to hear, or maybe it was because for a while I just didn’t want to be seen. I didn’t want attention because I feared others would dislike the person they saw. To protect myself, I created a makeshift wall that hid all my insecurities, fears, and discomfort, and my hope was that no one would be strong enough to break down this wall, allowing the truth to seep out the seams. This wall blocked out anything and anyone that I thought could hurt me, because fear can be a paralyzing concept. I became engulfed in the idea of creating a façade, creating a person I believed others wanted to see. I convinced everyone, and there was a point where I had convinced myself.

In the process, I had forgotten who I was, and it was time to get her back.

As we grow older, our wall becomes higher, because naturally we have a pounding desire to be included and accepted when in reality, sometimes others just aren’t prepared for the light we bring to this world. We shine so bright, and it can be intimidating to those who are still being ignited.

It is easy to be someone you’re not. When I was in high school, my long list of personalities was hard to hold on to, each more fake than the next and tailored to what I believed each group wanted from me. The awful thing was that in the moment, I believed I was each personality. The beginning of my senior year was when I finally knocked my wall down; I was tired of pretending. It was time to redefine myself.

I am the girl who takes an ordinary day and turns it into one where I am overwhelmed with sporadic fits of laughter, uncontrollable happiness, and shouts of joy. Opposite from my past, I am now overcome with a life full of happiness, surrounded by people who knock my wall down each time I begin to rebuild it. Rather than resenting my past, I am grateful for it, because it has given me an opportunity to rebuild myself into someone I am incredibly proud of.

When you feel yourself hiding -- stop! Take a risk, and do it for yourself, because you are the root of your own happiness. It’s not necessarily about being happy all the time, but recognizing the moments where you feel alive. You are not your past, and neither am I. We are a dazzling, electrifying light that deserves to shine as truthful to ourselves as we wish. Take my word: knocking down your barriers will be the start of something intimidating, and yet incredible, allowing you to chase after whatever makes you happy.

It is time to knock these walls down, and I am here to help you.

I’ll give you the first push.

Ready! Set! Go!