I recently got asked a question that I don't get asked to often: what is the theme song of your life? I was asked this as part of an assignment for my Ethics in Pop Culture and Entertainment class online. I thought it was extremely interesting and thought that it would make a great article. So, without further adieu, the theme song of my life is... I am the Fire by Halestorm.

This is one of my favorite songs, not only by Halestorm, but just in general. The song is badass and dramatic, it’s pretty deep, and it’s a rock band with a female lead, which is always a huge plus for me. The song is about doing things for you, being strong for yourself, not for anyone else. This is something it took me a very long time to learn. I was never really motivated to becoming better and stronger for other people, and I don’t really like myself too much so that didn’t work either. Then one day it just occurred to me that it doesn’t really matter what anyone else wants or thinks of me. I need to be strong for myself and stand tall and confident.

Every lyric speaks to me in some way. Let’s start with the beginning:
Am I brave enough? Am I strong enough? To follow the desire… That burns from within… To push away my fear… To stand where I'm afraid… I am through with this… Cuz I am more than this… I promise to myself… Alone and no one else… My flame is rising higher…
It starts off with questions. Of course people question themselves. If you don’t question yourself, if you don’t question if you can or can’t do something, then chances are you won’t. Asking yourself these kinds of questions stimulates the brain to think and reflect on them. Then questioning herself, she goes on to stand her ground, because she knows she is worth something and that she needs only to promise herself that she will be strong, because no one else needs her to. I feel this so strongly. I question myself all the time, probably too much, but in the end I know that however I answer those questions, they are for me and me alone to answer. Next, to look at the main chorus:
I am the fire… I am burning brighter…Roaring like a storm…And I am the one I've been waiting for…Screaming like a siren…Alive and burning brighter…I am the fire.
Fires are seen as strong and burning brightly. The part about the chorus that really stands out is “I am the one I’ve been waiting for,” because it is the idea that no one is holding you back except yourself. You have to be the fire. It’s a really amazing song.

I want people to come away knowing that I am strong and do what I do for myself, not for anyone else. I want people to know that they can do the same, too. While I hold myself back sometimes, I lack confidence sometimes, and I don’t always like myself at all, everything I do, I do for me. I want people to come away, not thinking I’m selfish, but thinking I’m confident and I know I deserve respect and that I know I’m strong enough to handle anything that comes my way. Everyone should feel strong enough to handle anything that comes at them, and be confident in themselves. Like the lyrics say, I “won’t let my past decide my fate,” because my past does not define me. I am me, I am strong, and I am the fire.