Take a look around the world.

From awkward accents to sombreros to tribal jewelry to kilts to kimonos to turbans, there are things about our culture that we may want to hide from the rest of the world. For me, it was the bindi. A bindi is a small, either round or tall, sticker worn in the center of the forehead by Hindu women to signify various cultural and religious beliefs.

Of course, as a fifth-grader, I did not have the ability to understand its true importance. My view of the bindi then was me wearing it solely because my mother made me. I was embarrassed with this red dot on my forehead because no one else around me looked this way.

I would try and cover my face at times. Once in a while, I would feel suppressed to go out and do what I wanted simply because of fear of what others would think of me. Days, weeks, months, I continued with this attitude towards the bindi; it was always a force of deterrence against me.

School had just begun and I was already having trouble at my new school in my last year of elementary. As if that wasn't enough, a girl I had just met began making fun of me for my bindi. Now there was no way of escape. I found only one solution at the time. If I couldn't veil it any longer, I should just get rid of it. However, this seemingly brilliant solution had its own problem. There was no way I could get away with this from my mother. Then another ingenious idea struck me...

Every morning, I would wear my bindi at home in front of my mother, and then once I arrived at school I would remove it. When I got back home, if my mother questioned me, I would frankly say "I lost it." And that's it; simple as that.

It was all going well until one day my mother decided to ask me sincerely and find out what was going on. That was when I finally burst and explained everything to her. I had a long talk with my mother that day, and it ended up changing my entire perspective. Those twenty minutes of conversation shaped me into who I am today. I learned what it means to truly embrace who you are and be proud of it. I learned what my culture really is.

From that day on, my confidence boosted like a rocket. I understood that I will always shine and show the world who I am, regardless of others' opinions. Wearing and concealing the bindi every day was no longer a burden for me. I quit looking for ways to blend in. Instead, I searched for my own inner personality for everyone else to see.

Never again did that little voice in my head tell me that "You are different. You are odd" but only "You are special."

Learning this powerful lesson strengthened me more than I could have ever imagined. My fortitude and courage today result from the brief chat with my mother several years ago. Culture has allowed me to grow increasingly confident over the years. Nobody's taunts or rude remarks will ever stop me. My strength lies in the differences from you to me.