To the people who have doubted me-
Please stop it.
When I was moved up to a management position at work people would ask me,
“Are you sure you can yell at people Sara?”
I’m sure I can still be taken seriously even if I’m not yelling. Just because I might not look ‘tough’ or ‘scary’ enough does not mean I am not capable.
When I told people I was traveling by myself they would ask,
“Aren’t you scared?” I’m sure no one would ask this question of a boy deciding to head out on his own. Yes, for girls traveling is different when your alone; but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it. I’d never let fear keep me from seeing the world.
When I told someone I wanted to drive down to Fort Collins to buy a bike.
“You can’t go by yourself, that guy might be a creep. Are you sure you even really want to do a triathlon?” I didn’t sign up for the team because I thought it’d be a tea party, I signed up to work my ass off and see results.
It even comes from the people I know deeply care about me. When I told my roommate I was going on exchange for a year.
“You need to be careful, you don’t know what it’s like there.”
I think what hurts the most is not that others doubt me, but that sometimes I listen to them. I begin to doubt myself. I question my own decisions. I wonder if I really have what it takes to travel by myself. I wish that I didn’t speak so softly, or that I stood taller. I hold myself back, preparing for a failure that may not even come.
I have to remind myself my strength looks different from what you know. My strength comes from being grounded, standing steady no matter what life throws at me. My strength comes from love and kindness and positivity.
But it’s okay if you don’t take me seriously, because one day when I am on top, you won’t be expecting it.
The girl who still believes in herself