For Aware Causes: “Hi! My name is Lizzie Sider and I am a singer/songwriter and bully prevention activist. Bullying is an incredibly important cause to me, because I went through it when I was in grade school. I remember being beaten down emotionally, every day, by the same group of girls… for years. It deflated my confidence. It made me question my own value. It made me feel shy and weak… and I was always a confident, happy girl! My turning point came when my dad told me to remember that “nobody has the power to ruin your day!” With time, patience and practice, I took these words to heart, and to this day, never again have I let someone else make me feel inferior without my permission. This is such a powerful concept. By letting someone else have control over how you feel, you are giving them the power. We must take our power BACK. We must hold our power so close and dear to our hearts, and never let it out of our hands again. This is the message that helped me through when I was being bullied and it helps me in my life everyday. I believe that when you realize that YOU are the only person in your life who has any say over how you feel about yourself, how you see yourself and how you believe in yourself, then YOU have unlimited potential. In addition to developing our own personal power, it is so important to be an example for others around us through being kind and supportive to those around us. And, as they say, when you see something, say something. Don’t go along with a group of people who are bullying someone else. Keep an eye out for those who may be getting bullied, and extend a hand and remove them from that situation. Be a friend. This is how we become AWARE of our own actions and surroundings. We must bring more awareness to bullying because EVERY life is valuable and NO ONE should have to feel like they are ever anything less than special!” Lizzie x Aware Causes April 20, 2020