You walk into your first dance class. You are 3 years old. As you watch the other girls dance in their pink tutus and ballet shoes, you fall in love. With the art, the shoes, the turns, the jumps, you fall in love with dance. At only 3 years old, you knew you would do this forever.

Years pass and you have been through way too many pairs of shoes, leotards, and bottles of hairspray to count. Your mom always makes sure your bun is perfect before the big recital. You smile big on stage -- after all, that stage is where you were meant to be. After 10 years, you still love dance more than anything in the world.

On your first day of high school, you notice there are other girls at your school who call themselves dancers. They can do multiple turns in a row, have perfected their split leaps, and can hold their legs high above their heads. They compete every weekend with a team, and you are still enrolled in park district classes. You always thought you were amazing, then you watched those girls dance. From that day on, you stopped referring to yourself as a dancer. You didn't want to embarrass yourself in case they ever asked you to dance for them. You quit your classes, stopped trying to get your pointe shoes, and gave it up. You hung up your leotard and walked out that door for the last time. You knew you would never amount to them.

That girl is me. The one who fell in love with dance and gave it up all too soon. And I'm here to tell you something. If you are not the best dancer, you are still a dancer. If you can not do three turns into a scorpion and then into an aerial, you are still amazing. This goes for anything. If you are not the fastest runner, you still run track. Hell, if you come in last place every single time, you are still a runner. A title does not come from talent, it comes from passion. Your love for your activity makes you special.

If you have lost your passion, remind yourself why you even began. Walk into that dance studio. Put on that black leotard that you miss so much. Turn on your favorite song and just dance. Forget the tricks. Give yourself a chance to dance without judgement- and I don't just mean the judgement of coaches or other people on the team. Stop judging yourself. If you can't dance like you used to be able to, if you can't swim like you used to be able to, if you can't play like you used to be able to- please forgive yourself. You have taken time off and you must remember that.

Here's the final step. Start training again. It might be too late for you to dance for the Joffrey Ballet, too late for you to swim for the Olympic team, too late for you to play for the NBA. But remember, just because you aren't the best does not mean that you are not important. You have put in the hours, you have fought for this sport, you have cried, and you have picked it all up and started over. That deserves an award in itself.

Do not give up on something that you love.