The Fear of Judgement

I’ll be the first to admit what my biggest fear is being judged. It’s scary to think that people might be talking behind your back or that someone doesn't like you. It’s not fun to be constantly worried about your appearance, the way you talk, and the way you act. I feel like my entire life has been focused on being who everybody else wants me to be because I’m terrified of being judged for being myself. But recently I have discovered the importance of being yourself despite what others think.

The truth is there is no one out there who is like you. There is no one who thinks the same way, likes the same things, and has the same way of doing things. We are all individuals and we each add something to society. The world needs every one's personal touch. If we live our lives focused on being who society wants we will all end up as mindless zombies doomed to spend our lives pleasing others. How can we do that to ourselves? We are individuals and we need to start acting like it.

Do you remember when you were in second grade and if you wanted to wear a tiara or crazy hat to school then you would wear it! You would raise your hand in class because you weren't afraid of being called a nerd. You didn't care if your hair was messed up as long as you got to play in the dirt! In second grade we didn't care about being judged. We were so confident in who we were that other’s opinion just didn't matter. Why did we change? When did we start being who others wanted instead of being ourselves?

I want to go back to being me without being afraid. So I’m done being afraid of being judged and you should be too. Embrace everything that makes you and individual. If you love wearing cowboy boots then wear them! Wear your favorite shirt even if it is totally “last season”. If you love school and learning then start raising your hand and stop worrying about being called a nerd. If you're a boy who loves dancing or a girl who loves football then show off your passion and talent. If you have something to say don’t worry about what other people will think about it. Stop worrying about what others will think about you and add your own touch to the world because the world definitely needs it. So comment and tell me how you're going to make your true self shine?

Time To Compete

Competition

Compete, compete, compete! It seems like competition is the main focus of our lives. We are constantly competing. We all want to be the star player on the sports team or have the highest rank in our class. From the time we started out we have been competing. We even compete in HOSA! But there’s something a little different about HOSA competitions. We don’t just compete to prove we’re the best. We compete to learn skills and gain knowledge. So here are a few tips on how to succeed in your HOSA Competition.

1) Pick a competition you're interested in: If you love to write then you’re more likely to enjoy extemporaneous writing than you are extemporaneous health poster. The more interested you are in something, the more likely you are to practice for the competition.

2) Challenge yourself: If you find your competition way to easy then you’re more likely to get bored with it or stop working to get better. If you pick a competition that is a little more challenging you're more likely to succeed

3) Practice! Practice! Practice!: The more you practice the better you will do in your competition, but be careful not to burn yourself out

4) Find a study system that works for you: Everyone likes to study differently. Maybe you hate quizzing yourself. Try finding a friend to quiz you. Do you hate memorizing facts? try making up a song or a funny story to remember them.

5) Relax: Everyone wants to do well in competition but you want to make sure you don't let the stress get to you.

6) HAVE FUN!: Winning is great, but it’s not everything. The point of our competitions is to learn skills and gain knowledge. Have fun learning everything you can!

Overall competing is a fantastic experience! It gives students a great chance to learn and thrive. If you have any competition tips or questions please feel free to comment and share them. I hope everyone has a great time and best of luck in your competitions!