Holding 150 posters in my hands did not feel very heavy, and the stack did not look like much. However, giving out the first poster felt almost impossible.

One evening in July, my younger brother and I stood in front of the National Taichung Theater. We wanted to give out posters to promote our Irish dance performance. However, we were both afraid of being rejected. For almost twenty minutes, we just stood there, watching people walk past us. Neither of us dared to take the first step.

Finally, I gathered my courage, walked up to someone, and handed them a poster.

“Please support our…”

“No, thank you,” he interrupted me.

I felt embarrassed. Standing under the streetlight, sweating, I almost wanted to give up. After several tries, someone finally stopped and took a poster. Then another person did. Slowly, talking to strangers became easier, and I was no longer so afraid of hearing “no.”

I used to be so shy that I even hid in the corner of the classroom, afraid to join the class. Now, I can stand on a national stage and perform in front of thousands of people. I still feel nervous sometimes, but I have learned that confidence does not come before taking action. It grows every time I have the courage to take the first step.