“You take each comment, each judgment, each assumption, each opinion, each strange look, each remark, each criticism, each review, each report, each assessment, and with it your self-esteem plummets like a sinking ship,” Olivia continues. “Why am I not good enough?”
After breaking down the desire to exceed academic expectations while keeping nicknames like “nerd, brainiac and human calculator” at bay, and unwinding at the end of the day only to realize how much you legitimately hate yourself, Olivia admits, “This is my life every day. I can’t control it.”
“Going through your middle school years, you are on your own journey to find yourself, on a small jet, and sometimes you cannot control what happens to you. The turbulence will throw you off course.”
Her brilliant words are true for every age and stage of life—we’re constantly on the journey of finding ourselves. She drives the presentation home with a powerful declaration:
“Society is wrong. You are loved. You are precious. You are beautiful. You are talented, You are capable. You are deserving of respect. You are one in 7 billion.
And most of all, you are good enough.”
Olivia’s composure, honesty, transparency, and confidence have taken the Internet by storm. Her performance has been viewed more than 24 million times, and the comments are loaded with much-deserved praise for this beautiful young woman who is truly wise beyond her years.
According to Queen Creek Middle School, Olivia’s performance “had several students in tears, shocked and more empathetic than ever.”
This 12 year old girl is a #WorldChanger. I’m grateful for her reminder today, and I believe it’s one that we all desperately need to hear: You ARE good enough.”
Share her powerful words with someone who needs this reminder too!!
