When I’m writing, it’s easy to be vocal with my thoughts and opinions, and even sprinkle in the occasional sass every few sentences. However, when I’m confronting my problems aloud, I suddenly shy into a shell of apologetically cliche and basic expressions.

But over the course of my 19 years, I’ve tried to speak up a little more about how I feel and what I want. Nearly every child has untamed amount of energy and electricity in their veins, and as they grow, their light diminishes to fit the completion of society.

In elementary school, I enjoyed being the center of attention and rocked a homemade dance routine every talent show (“These Boots Are Made For Walking” was easily the best). With this newfound spotlight, I was full of opinions and ideas.

In junior high, I was a new kid and my confidence quickly declined as I noticed how different I spoke/thought/behaved. The spotlight was something I no longer felt, or even needed at that point, because I wanted to hide in every shadow. My opinions and ideas remained bubbling at the surface, but I swallowed down every word before it escaped.

In high school, I took a brave step from the shadows and turned on a flashlight until I found the path that I had strayed from, and I hightailed it out of bleak and somber place I had thought was my home.

But I now know the defintion of home, and it’s the place where you can speak your mind, share your dreams, and not be afraid to laugh out loud.

Today, I am in college. I am nowhere near the loud and outgoing little girl dancing on a stage in red sparkly cowboy boots, but I am also not afraid to communicate when I have something to say. Day after day I am more thankful for my ability to express myself over the keyboard, but my lesson of day three is: be boldly assertive when you have something on your mind. You only have so many opportunities to change the world, and if you don’t declare your wishes, you can’t expect a revolution in return.

Remember the person you were as a child, and make them proud today.

Forever the same,

Madeleine