Dare to stand out

Andrea Haupts

導讀：生活中，有很多人因為顧及別人的眼光而不敢表現真實自我，其實，只要鼓起勇氣勇于表達，就能收獲那個獨一無二的自己。

“If your number one goal is to make sure that everyone likes and approves of you， then you risk sacrificing your uniqueness， and， therefore， your excellence.”

I can remember many times in my life when I was afraid to stand out. When listening to a speech or discussion at school， I always had questions to ask， but the moment I finally raised my hand， my heart would force my arm down. The same thing happened in business meetings. I missed out on being me， but I couldnt manage to overcome my fear of standing out： What would others think of me？ What if I said something stupid？ What if they laughed？ What if everybody stared at me？ Why dont we dare to stand out more often？

Starting at a very early age， we learn that standing out is not desirable. When children speak their mind out or theyre loud， adults tell them to calm down and be quiet. In school， when expressing an opinion or questioning what theyve learned， students are often labeled rebellious. As a young， were torn between the desire to express our individuality and the urge to be accepted. Many times， we prefer to fit in because weve learned that were only going to belong to a group if we are like others expect us to be. But deep inside， we feel that something is missing. Actually， daring to stand out means being your true self， speaking your mind out， dressing the way you want， or laughing out loud， even if youre the only one who finds something funny. It means being different， following your dreams when no one believes in you， speaking up when no one else does， and making a difference in your life or the life of others by being who you are. Besides， being honest with yourself about what you really want will allow you to make choices that can lead to a happy life.

Vocabulary

approve v. 認可，同意

sacrifice v. 犧牲

rebellious adj. 叛逆的

individuality n. 個性

（生活中不可能做到讓每個人都認可你，所以盡管把別人的眼光拋之腦后，大膽走出你的那一步吧！）