I wanted to be different. My whole life I've looked up to characters in stories-- the ones that the author created specifically for that purpose. These characters have led me to believe in myself and what I’m capable of for as long as I can remember. They all had traits I aspired to gain through reading of their adventures. I learned from them.
Hermione Granger made me believe that there was something worse than being killed; to her that was being expelled. Hazel Grace Lancaster made me believe in small infinities and made me imagine that infinities have countless meanings to them. Detective Lindsay Boxer led, and continues to lead, me to believe that women can be just as strong as men on the police force and sometimes they even outsmart the “bad guys.”
I didn’t only learn from fictional characters, however. I also learned from historical figures; those figures that inspired generations and followed their hearts.
Rosa Parks made me believe just saying “no” was as easy as anything else, although believing it is easier than doing it. Helen Keller showed us all that you don’t need to be able to see or hear to follow your dreams or make a difference in the world. She inspired me to keep an open mind, learn to read braille, and learn some sign language. Other women who led others to safety and freedom, like Harriet Tubman when she helped hundreds of slaves escape from the harsh South to the North, also led me to believe women were not meant to sit on the sidelines and just watch.
I wanted to be them. I wanted to be strong and be able to stand up for myself. I wanted to believe in myself as much as I believed in them.
It wasn’t until recently I began to see myself as my very own fictional character. I can write my outcome just as easily as any made up character’s. I can make myself be strong, and if I fail, I learn from the mistake and try something else. If I succeed, I still keep trying to better myself. Nobody believes they, or their idol, got where they are because they gave up.
Keep trying. Be a fictional character you can believe in. Make your fantasy a reality. I wanted to be like them, but now I don’t want to be anyone but me.
