Growing up, my life was consumed with dance. From the age of three to hopefully a lifetime, I have enjoyed my time in the studio. I found my true passion on the dance floor. There has always been one thing I have struggled with since becoming aware of my surroundings in the dance studio: body image. In the south, food is all we’re surrounded by, from, gumbo, to crawfish, to a delicious bowl of etouffee. Although I'm a picky eater, I indulge in all of what the south has to offer, crawfish being my favorite. The culture around food in the south is unmatched. Consequently, food being so immersed into my everyday life, it became my best friend, it’s what made me happy along with dancing and being with family. Walking into the dance studio every day, the people I was surrounded by and looked up to did not look like me. As a person who is very into pop culture, the bodies that are looked at as beautiful were different from mine. The critical lens that is put on the way a body is supposed to look as a dancer affected me. Although I always pushed my body to be the best and train like the best, deep down my insecurities held me back. It was hard to look up to other great dancers and influencers and think “that could be me one day”. Having a passion for anything takes hard work to be great. One way people get better and grow in their passion is by being inspired. But it was hard to find inspiration in the dancers I looked up to. As I got older I grew even more insecure about the way I looked. I tried working out, dancing every day after school, and eating healthier, but at this point my relationship with food was unhealthy. I was excessively counting calories and avoiding everything that fueled my body. However, I did all of this with a smile on my face. But at some point, I had to confide in someone. I’ve always been a family-oriented person, so talking to my mom about my worries helped change my mentality of being incapable. She continued to stress the importance of being authentic. I’ve learned over the years the importance of there only being one you. Throughout my life, I have lived by this idea and received results. Such as the success that I’ve felt from dance has encouraged me. It made me realize that having a passion is more than looking the part but also following your heart and having a strong mentality. Looking back as a now older dancer, I realized that I have always been capable and always had the potential to be great, I just put a barrier in front of myself stopping me mentally from reaching further success. I learned that I had a fear of being different, a fear of standing out, but the importance of it applies to every aspect of life. Everyone wants to fit in, I want to fit in, but being different separates you from others and shows what you are capable of and who you are authentically. Maturing mentally I’ve learned that taking risks and being different is valuable. I have grown to be comfortable in my body. Dance is a sport, an art, and a teacher and the more I advance, the more it teaches me. It requires physicality and a strong mentality. So, to all those who have insecurities, turn those insecurities into something positive.