Transcriber: Isabel Bartling Reviewer: Sebastian Betti
“Be the first rate version of yourself
and not a second rate version of someone else.” Judy Garland.
“Be yourself because everyone’s already taken.” Oscar Wilde.
Some of my favorite quotes.
Simple but very meaningful.
What does this mean?
Does it mean not pretending to be something you’re not
to impress people, impress society?
Or does it mean making decisions best for you
and not for others?
Well, it means all of these things.
Being yourself means knowing who you are, what you want
and making decisions best for you and not for other people.
Hi, I’m Siri Bireddy,
and today I want to share my experiences and challenges
that I overcame to be myself and how I do so everyday.
The world always says: Be yourself or don’t change yourself for others.
But in reality,
it is very challenging to always be yourself
knowing that people might not accept you for who you are.
I believe we are scared to be ourselves.
We’re afraid that those we care for the most
won’t approve of us if they see who we truly are.
I started out with a few questions:
How can I be myself?
How can I be more me and less of someone else?
I had to accept a few things about myself.
There was a time when I wanted to be someone else.
I wanted to change things about me to be more like them.
But after I overcame that, I realized instead of being them,
I should examine myself to see how I can be a better me.
In third grade I used to play tennis.
I used to do backhands and forehands and play matches all the time.
Until people started comparing me to other students in my class.
Constantly, it was: Can you hit farther than them?
And can you run faster than them?
And let me tell you,
I wasn’t the fastest person in my class.
And here’s why.
When I was about five years old, I had a surgery to fix my feet.
I had a type of tendonitis which caused my calf muscles to be really tight,
which caused me to walk on my tippy toes.
And I vividly remember people saying: Oh, ah, look, how cute.
But soon, my parents realized that it was interfering with my physical activity
and decided surgery was the best option.
After the surgery, the doctor told me
that I would have to work harder than other kids
to strengthen my calf muscles
and I might not be the fastest person in my class.
And that’s OK.
I don’t have to be the fastest person in my class.
My speed certainly does not define me as a person,
as who I am.
So back to tennis.
I worked extremely hard to increase my speed,
but there was always this one girl in my class who was so quick on her feet.
And it was so frustrating sometimes
because tennis wasn’t even my favorite sport,
but still, I wanted to be them.
A few days and a couple of months into the school year,
an opportunity for a public speaking event popped up
and my friends from tennis were there, too.
And I nailed my speech.
It came more naturally to me than others.
That's when I realized that I might be better at some things than other people,
and I should accept my abilities and accept myself for who I am
and self-improve for me and not for other people.
And yes, if tennis is my favorite sport,
I should work harder, run faster.
But if I’m not loving what I’m doing,
what’s the point?
And I certainly should not continue just to beat that other girl in my class.
We’re all unique and have different talents.
We don't always have to follow in the footsteps of others.
And most importantly, we don't always have to do what other people are doing.
We have been given the responsibility to develop the talents we have been given.
Self-improvement and acceptance
is my way of overcoming the challenge of being yourself.
Look at the gifts that you alone have been given
and make the best of what you can with them.
Your time is limited,
so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
And most importantly, be yourself,
not because everyone else is taken,
but because there’s no one else you’d rather be.
Until we meet again, I’m Siri Bireddy, and thank you for listening to my speech.