When I was little,

I used to love to sing.

All the time in the house, there would be a tune in my mouth.

Singing in the church is where I got my start.

Music was a really big part of my childhood.

I was performing with my friends in church.

 the girls who sang with me came up to me and said,

“Someone in the audience told me to tell you that you sing really bad,

Everyone else sounded better than you.”

I was crushed I never wanted to sing again.

I felt like I was worthless and I wasn’t capable of anything.

I felt like a failure. 

After that day I refused to sing solo in front of others.

When I was asked to sing, I declined the offer.

When I had to sing with a group,

I made sure I sang quietly enough so my voice wasn’t heard and that I didn’t mess up the performance.

Watching this ten year old girl sing,

She was performing all alone and she wasn’t the best singer,

but she loved to sing and she didn’t care about other opinions.

I saw how confident she was and it inspired me to pick up the mic again. 

I was in a women's retreat and I just felt like I had to sing.

May 2016, I took center stage again.

I had an amazing performance.

That day I got my confidence back. 

What I learned from this experience is that I shouldn't let what people say stop me from doing what I love to do.

If someone tells me something negative,

I should work harder and prove them wrong. 

Confidence is one of the best qualities a person can have.

I don’t need others to like my singing.

I already like my own voice. 

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