Goals_and_Bullying

Everyone Has A Dream As a child when asked what do you want to be when you grow up, many children would answer with an fun or exciting occupation such as a doctor, police officer, actor, singer, and so on. If I was asked that question as a child, I would not have been able to answer. Growing up, I was a shy and self conscious girl who was afraid to be myself. I never knew what I truly wanted in life. Looking back on my childhood, I now see that I did have a passion and it revolved around art. Every person has a dream or goal whether they are aware of it or not. Childhood memories are usually filled with fun and laughter therefore making it a wonderful time in a person‘s life. However, my childhood was filled with ridicule, bullying, and unkindness. I moved to a new town and was not accepted by my new classmates. I spent a lot of time alone, without friends to play with or talk to. At school, the other children would throw things at me, call me names, and spread rumors. As a result of the cruelty, I did not have a voice. I was afraid to be myself and tried to be as invisible as possible. The sports, groups, and activities I wanted to participate in, I stayed away from because I was scared. In addition to being bullied, I was also verbally abused by my mother and ignored by my father. My mother would call me worthless and a waste of space. Nothing I did was ever good enough for her. While my mother was putting me down, my father was either with my brothers or in front of the television. In my father’s world, I did not exist. I felt like I had nowhere to turn. Looking back, I do not see the reasons why I received so much hatred from everyone. I did my best to try to fit in and not stand out, however it did not stop the humiliation. As a result, I did not know what I truly wanted to do with my life. I felt like I had no goals or dreams to aspire to. Now that I am an adult and look back at my childhood, I finally see the things that did make me happy. One of the major things that I liked to do was draw and paint. When I had art class, I enjoyed every minute of it. I was not the most talented or most creative student, however I felt more relaxed and comfortable while working on projects. I loved drawing cartoons, painting flowers, and making vases. Due to my insecurities, I never felt like my work was good enough. As I hit adolescence, I started to make friends and my interest in art fell to the way side. I let my low self esteem stop me from discovering my dream. High School is the time when teenagers start preparing for their futures and begin applying to college. I went through school not knowing if I even wanted to continue my education since I did not know what I wanted to study. Not until my final semester of senior year, did I regain my love for art when I took a photography class. As soon as I picked up the camera, I never wanted to put it down. I felt my love of art come back. I saw beauty in the world and wanted to capture ever snap shot of it. I would take pictures of my friends, school events, beaches, flowers, and anything else I could think of. I felt so much joy taking and developing pictures. Once the semester was over, I graduated high school and got a full time job. I lost my love of photography again until recently. I started to take pictures and began to feel the joy I once had. When I have free time, I spend it at a garden or a beach trying to capture everything. I wasted 11 years after high school not knowing what I loved. Now that I found my passion again, I will never let it go. Everyone has a dream or goal for their life. When I was a child, I thought I had no dreams. Looking back, I wish I had the courage to believe in myself. If I had, my life would have gone down a different path. If I trusted who I was, I know I currently would have a job that involves art and photography. Today, photography is a great hobby which I truly love. I plan on entering photo contests and selling some of my prints online. It is never to late to realize your dreams and make them come true.