Hello and welcome.

I submitted this a while ago to a competition for short ‘motivational’ pieces meant to encourage and inspire young girls to pursue a path in science. I didn’t win (or I assume I didn’t, since I never heard back), but I wanted to share this still.

Main picture credit: Comfreak on Pixabay

Dear you,

All I would like to say is that it’s okay.

It’s okay to like science. You may be told by those around you that science is not for girls. That’s because they do not know the truth. They were told the same by others before them, but it does not make it true. Girls can do it all. You can. You can love art, music and writing, yet still excel at mathematics. You can be pretty and humorous, yet still ponder physics and think in equations. You can enjoy video games and sports, yet still find engineering fascinating. These features are not contradictory, they build upon each other. Be proud of who you are.

It’s okay to be scared. Trying something new always is – will you like it? Will it be right for you? Even more, it’s overwhelming to think of the world of science – what if you don’t fit in? The only way you’ll find an answer to those questions is to simply try it. Take that fear and transform it into something special. Show to yourself, before the world, that you can beat your fear and discover the beauty within. Comfort is the opposite of progress, but breaking out of comfort is always accompanied by fear.

It’s okay to feel not good enough. All people do at one point or another – so much so that it even has its own term often spoken about, “imposter syndrome”. But all you must do is believe that you are good enough, be confident in your abilities. There is always going to be someone better, that is how the world works. Someone else will come up with a solution to the problem quicker than you do; someone else will present their solution better than you do; and someone will see a new problem that you completely missed. But there is no one else who can do those things quite the way you do. You are unique and special. And you can do whatever you put your mind to, if you keep trying and pushing to achieve your goals.

It’s okay to fail. Failing is inevitable, as you do not have the answers to all the questions. If you did, there would be no point in life, mystery solved! It would take away the excitement of finding things out, the surprise of getting things wrong. Without fails, success loses all meaning. That’s the best part. Because when you fail, you can learn from it and improve. Learn, and grow, and be brave in your adventures.

It’s okay to follow your dreams. Even if you are the only one who believes in them for now, others will understand in time. It is you who matters. Make your dream matter. Cherish it, nourish it and build it up into something that makes a difference. Or simply something that you are proud of. No one else is going to do that for you, but no one else needs to either. You have all the tools you need to pursue your path. There may be pressure to do something grand with your life – that’s what scientists do, right? They invent new technology to revolutionize our understanding. However, all big technology always starts small; the smallest idea, the smallest intention, the smallest dent in our current way of thinking. And that’s where you come in. You have dreams, and ideas, and intentions, to create your small dent for a better world.

Discover the world, question the world, dissect it to find its secrets. That’s what science is all about. And you can do it. It’s okay to want to. In fact, it is quite inspiring that you do.

With hopes for the future you represent,
A fellow girl breaking into the world of science.