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Essay 3 - Challenge

One of the biggest challenges I have faced was finding my voice. 

That day I was trying to defend myself against false accusations from an old friend of mine. The day I wanted to stand up for a girl in my class who was being targeted by people I once thought of as friends. The day I needed to talk to my friend about a thing he did that hurt me. The day I attempted to explain my point of view on an important subject we were debating in school. That question I wanted to ask. That time I should have admitted it was my fault. 


On those occasions, I never did find my voice. I struggled for a long time with the fear of speaking up, a fear fed by my deepest insecurities, by the thought of being judged, of not being taken seriously. At the time, I was aware that I was losing opportunities to be heard and to make my voice and my opinion matter, as well as to support people who needed my help. 

It was easier to stay silent, because by doing so, there was no room for error. I do not believe this anymore: the truth is that by keeping my mouth shut there might not have been room for error, but there sure was a lot of room for regret. And I have learned that regret is the worst thing one can possibly feel. 


One day, I realized I had become consumed by all the regret I had endured, and I could no longer live with myself. I strived to use all the strength and willpower I needed to escape my comfort zone, and I started to break down the barrier that was keeping me from speaking up. Even though at first the cracks in the barrier were very small ones, in time they became bigger until the barrier finally collapsed. On the other side of it, I found what I was looking for - my voice. The voice I needed to defend the people I care about, to share my thoughts and my beliefs with the world, to ask questions, and to live a life without regret.  

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