Changing my name

All my life I have viewed myself as a weak individual. Someone who was easily stepped on and

walked all over. I always wanted to stand up for myself but I had no idea how. I was never

very competitive and I had very little self-discipline. I wanted to change this desperately but, I

felt like it was to late in my life to just suddenly change. I felt like I needed a motivation. That is

why I am here today, to explain to you why I changed my name to Nina. When I was a little girl I

recall my mother always telling me that I had Native American blood in me. I was fascinated by

the thought of being a real Native American, the history of these natives just intrigued me for

some reason. They seemed to be these strong willed people, despite their land being taken

from them. In my mind I have created this picture of them being highly intelligent and nothing

nor anyone can stop them from doing what they were driven to do. The meaning of the name

Nina is “strong”. I chose this name because the word strong seems so powerful to me.

It took me a long time to settle with the name I chose. I needed a name that was going to

not sound strong but make my personality stronger. Now Nina has the ability to experience

negative and positive events without judgment. Nina has the strength to go through obstacles

and come out without harboring negative baggage. Being strong lets me go through any kind of

drama and stress with victory. Instead of letting any negative situation bring me down, I fight

back. I can now speak for myself without feeling like I am going to be judged. Being strong

through adversity is an excellent tactic. Individuals such as Mother Teressa, Martin Luther King,

and Gandhi all changed the world by staying strong and going through arduousness. These

are people who are perfect proof of how strength can make such a difference in the way a

person can change society. Before I changed my name I would ask myself, Do