A warrior, carrying a gold spear

Standing tall as he looks over the field

Face scarred and voice loud

His enemies fear him

And his fellows want to be him

A performer, in front of the masses

But she smiles as she dances

No matter what people say about her

It doesn’t matter

because she loves what she does

An Olympian, finishing his event

Breathless, feet painful

And as he crosses the finish line

His excited heart is beating out of his chest

I was made for this.

A young prince

Standing in front of his country

Everything he does is judged by the public

Will I ever be enough for them?

An epiphany: What if that doesn’t matter?

A little boy, afraid to go to his appointment

In the doctors’ waiting room, a kind college student holds his hand

“I’ve been here before,” they say. “You’ll be okay.”

And when the boy’s name is called

He walks in with a new fire in his belly

An upbeat schoolboy

Playing ball with his friends

He falls trying to make a play

But he simply brushes the dirt off his shoes

And stands back up again

An astronaut, setting foot on the moon

He thinks about Neil Armstrong

And how he idolized him as a little boy

The astronaut smiles under his helmet

Knowing he’ll be an inspiration to children someday

A young singer, standing on a stage

She looks over the crowd and she realizes

I bore my heart for these people

And they love me.

They still love me.

Confidence is not just saying

“I am the best”

Confidence is

Loving who you are

And what you do

With the confidence

To go for your dreams

You go from the inspired

To the inspiration.