I never felt like I was true to myself growing up. I lived to please, and let others make my decisions. Like a puppet, people controlled my strings, and all the while, I struggled to figure out who I was supposed to be. I was not my own person. I was molded into the different shapes that others thought were best for me. I was often told I was not capable of completing a specific task, whether it was becoming an engineer, going into the military, or working toward my pilot’s license.

It wasn’t until high school that I realized I could no longer live a life controlled by others. You only have one life to live, and every moment should be decided by you. It’s not living if someone else is telling you how to live. I started to recognize the woman I was always meant to be. I became deeply interested in aviation and helping others. It was an unexplainable feeling to finally feel comfortable in my own skin.

Don’t Wait for Approval

Look toward women such as Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Marie Curie and Oprah Winfrey. None of these women stopped following their dreams, because they didn’t receive a “go-ahead.” There will always be someone that says no. Do not let anyone put you down, or say that you cannot do something. Stand up for yourself. You are smart, powerful, and capable of greatness. You can lead women into a bigger and brighter future. A future of gender-equal paychecks and women becoming bosses of their own companies. If you want to be an engineer, firefighter or president, do not lose your focus on this career.

Choose Your Own Path

Robert Frost wrote,
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

It is your decisions, and only your decisions, that should affect your future. Take the road less traveled by…not the road someone chooses for you! You are the only person who has control over your life. Do not give this power to anyone else.

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