Teens May 14, 2018 Issue

Self-doubt: Exit stage right

Juliet Beck

It was the week before auditions for my school’s spring musical, and I was feeling nervous and discouraged. I kept comparing myself to everyone around me—and comparing my voice to the voices of more experienced singers. I felt bombarded with thoughts like, “You shouldn’t even try.” “Listen to how much better she sounds than you.” And, “You’re too timid to be able to do this.”

I was worried mostly about the singing portion of the audition, and had been trying to pray about it, as I’ve always done in challenging situations. One day, when my mom and I were praying together about the fear I was feeling, I read Hymn 216 from the Christian Science Hymnal. The second verse says:

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