From Shame to Fuel

Some time ago I wrote about how a tough criticism changed my life for the better. Today I remembered another moment, one where someone mocked me for saying something wrong.

I was about 15, and my exposure to English had been minimal and self-taught. We were at a beach camp with people from Costa Rica and a group of missionaries from the U.S. One of the missionary ladies said something to me, and I replied, “I too.”

One of my “friends” immediately burst out laughing in front of everyone and corrected me: “It’s ME TOO!” The whole group went silent, and I just wanted to disappear. I walked away embarrassed and ashamed.

Back then, I barely knew conversational English because I had mostly learned through reading. But that awful moment made one thing painfully clear: I needed to learn more, and faster. Once again, someone had hit me with a painful truth, but it was up to me, and only me, to decide what to do with it. I could grow, or I could stay stuck in the shame of not knowing how to speak another language well.

It took time, but I chose growth. And here I am, still learning, still wrestling with vocabulary and accent, but determined to turn that awkward memory into fuel.

Have you ever felt that way? If someone has criticized you, mocked you, or tried to put you down, do not let it freeze you. Do not wear the shame like it belongs to you. Use it. Let it push you toward where you are meant to go.

We often give up because we feel alone, and that is exactly why I wrote this: to let you know that others have faced struggles like yours, and that yes, it is absolutely possible to come through on the other side.