"Even the smallest person can make a big difference," I repeat this sentence in my head as I strut up on stage, ready to perform for the first time with the elite dancers who are much older and trained.
Numerous things could have gone wrong up there on stage. My confidence could have been shaken up, and I could have missed a step or, worse, forgotten the choreography, which would leave me with much embarrassment. That performance at the end of the night ended up being the most life-changing moment because that's the moment I realized I was capable of accomplishing any feat so long as I acted with the confidence that was born from that one line.
The line from not a great speaker or influencer but the character Barbie.
Barbie captured my imagination and, most importantly, led me on an adventure to unlock new parts of my personality and skills I never knew I had in me. I never knew about myself, one part being confidence. Growing up, almost every girl's life had the Barbie doll phase, and mine started at the age of 8. As I looked through my dolls, I noticed how each of my Barbies had the long blond hair, pretty eyes, and the perfect long legs but never had the same jobs. One was a princess, a doctor, a fairy, an astronaut, or a mermaid. I started to wonder with my 8-year-old mind how each doll had the confidence and motivation to achieve so much. Then and there, I knew that if an inanimate object can have this self-confidence to achieve any goal, so can I.
Fast forward a few years, and here I am sitting in my soft, white office chair doing my unending Precalculus homework. Suddenly, I hear my phone buzzing across the room. My immediate reaction was to ignore it, but it gets hard to fully accept that when your phone screen turns bright every two seconds. It became quite frustrating, so I decided to get up and answer the phone.
"Shrija, I have the best proposition for you, and I think you should do it!"
Confused I said, "Well hi to you too."
As we proceeded to talk, my friend asked me to join her Broadcast Journalism Team for the club Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Being ecstatic to join, I start asking her an endless amount of questions, each one making me more excited until the last answer.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, we will be competing against the entire state of Georgia."
Nervous energy immediately struck me. A million questions suddenly rose into my head.
"Am I a good presenter?"
"What will happen if I mess up?"
At that moment, I realized that this is the time I had been waiting for.
The sentence again came up in my head, "Even the smallest person can make a big difference."
Later that month, my team and I won first place in Broadcast Journalism in all of Georgia. Although that was a huge achievement, the skills I took home with is something I will always appreciate forever. I learned that I am a great speaker, have this outgoing personality, and can pursue a career in business.
"You can be anything," said every Barbie in each movie and story.
I took this along with me through my life. I set out on the adventure to expand your horizons across a variety of fields. After all, if I do it with even a little bit of self-confidence, I know I have succeeded.
Now to the present day, I can say "Yes, even the smallest person can make a big difference."
So with me standing at 5'2" next to my 6-foot friends and knowing that I can accomplish anything is unbelievable. And who would have thought it was from Barbie all along?
