Challenge I Have Overcome

The school bell rings and suddenly the hallways become filled with students, some rushing to get to their next class, others casually taking their time. As I make my way to the usual spot by the senior lockers where I meet my friends, I am greeted by familiar faces ranging from those whom I've known since Junior High to those I hardly know from Economics class. For me, it's just another day at Tomball High School filled with laughter, incredible friends and surprisingly great classes. Funny thing is, three years ago, I was the exact opposite at the bottom of the social food-chain.

Throughout the years, up until my freshman year in high school, I was the invisible silent-type - the one that hardly ever spoke unless spoken to. Even then, I always felt uneasy while attempting to engage in conversation, for the thought of what the other individuals' perspective of me was constantly ran through my mind. This troubled me because I had no idea why it was so difficult for me to fit in. Eventually I began thinking that maybe if I acted a certain way, people would accept me socially and my confidence would grow. I started to wear more expensive clothing from the more popular name brand stores. I changed my hairstyle and even began to wear makeup.

The act that I was putting on only troubled me more. I kept thinking the new friends I had made were only there because I was acting like everyone else. It all seemed too fake to me and I despised having to play a different role because it simply was not me.

I heard a quote somewhere that was said by Fanny Brice, a famous entertainer of the 1920's, "Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?" This automatically created a whole new perspective for me. It's not worth wasting your life away by copying someone else's. You can