Every day, we walk down the halls of DHS, watching the people around us. You may be completely comfortable with who you are. You may know that you are exactly who you want to be. Even so, we have all thought at one time or another that it would be better to be someone else. If we were someone else, all our problems would be cured. We all have problems. But we can do something about them.
Your problems aren’t you. I’m not saying you should change who you are, far from it. But if there’s a problem in your life that you can control, don’t sit back and let it become you. Do something about it. Define yourself by your attributes, not by your problems. Your life will be miserable if you let your problems go unchecked. Believe me, I know.
Many of you know me as a kind person. I’ve had several people tell me how happy I am most of the time. Well, this was not always so, as many people who went to elementary school with me can attest. For ten years of my life, I let a problem define me, and swallow me up so I was not the person I should have been growing up.
I had a huge temper. I was like a ticking time-bomb. Even the slightest touch would set me off. I would say things I didn’t mean, do things I didn’t intend to do. I felt angry all the time, and it felt like I couldn’t control it.
I was lonely in elementary school. I didn’t have many friends. No one wants to hang out with someone who loses it over the smallest things. Day after day, I would sit alone on the bench at recess, while the other kids played. I would spend most of my time reading, imagining I was in another place where I wasn’t angry all the time.
It wasn’t until fourth grade that I started to turn around. There was a play going on at the Midland Center for the Arts called Charlotte’s Web. My start into the world of drama was initiated by my wish to become someone I wasn’t. I thought being in a play where I could pretend to be someone else would help me do that. So, I auditioned.
Two days later, I got the call that I had landed the role of Wilbur, the main role. I had never felt so happy in my life. All of the anger balled up inside me just faded away. I continued doing drama, and by seventh grade, I felt like a completely different person.
Nowadays, I am no longer defined by an anger problem that I let control me. I am now defined by my love of drama and performing. Now, I have the absolute best friends I could ask for, and I am happier than ever. Every once in a while, I feel that old anger coming back, but rarely do I let it show. Never let your problems define who you are. You just might lose yourself along the way.
