Don’t be too thin. Don’t be too heavy. Be natural. Always look your best. Don’t blend in. Don’t try and stand out. Follow your own path. Don’t stray too far. But above all,
just be yourself. Since the day we’re born were told to be our own person. As if being ourselves is this clear and definitive thing. The person we are is forever changing. Who we were yesterday can often be different from the person we are today and that’s not even considering the person we’re striving to become. Things happen that alter our state of mind and end up changing the way we look at things, and ultimately who we are in a given situation. Simply stated: life happens to us. The thing to remember is it’s how we handle what happens that counts. We always have two options: continue being the person we are, or let the situation change us; define your situation, or let the situation define you.
It’s important to note, who we are and who we want to be, don’t always match up. Even if and when they do it doesn’t just magically make being your own person any easier. Just being yourself is an idea that at times seems unattainable. Sometimes we can be ourselves in one situation, and then due to our experiences, be a completely different person if that situation should make itself present again. This often makes us question if the person we are is worth it. It is. There is nothing bigger to strive for than being your own person. Being able to look in the mirror and just be happy with what you see. To look at your flaws and turn them into perfections, not for the justification of others or to come off like you’re happy, but because you genuinely are. Because you were able to look at yourself and not see where you may fall short, but see the things that make you who you are. To see what makes you beautiful. To see what makes you, you. To be comfortable in your own skin. It’s so easy to get caught up in becoming the person everyone wants you to be. It’s even easier to lose sight of the person YOU want to become. Always take pride in the person you are. Stand up for yourself. But more importantly be proud of it. Don’t let the opinions of others determine who you are. Everyday people are gonna make sure you know they think you’re not good enough. Let them. Better yet encourage them. The more people try to break you, the stronger you can become in the end.
If you’re genuinely confident, flaunt it. If you’re normally insecure, fake it. Now all of us can’t always be 100% proud of the person we are but you always have the opportunity to change that. Just never change who you are on account of others. But if you see a better you in your future, do what you have to do to get there, but on your own terms. Do it regardless of whether it’s going to change in five minutes or five years because no matter how long it lasts or how quickly it passes, who you are is one of the rare things we have the ability to control. You determine what you stand for; who you are and what you’re not. But more importantly you determine who you get to be. The reality is that we’re not all gonna be able to say, “I am who I am, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it,” but you should always be able to say, “I am who I am, and that’s more than okay with me.”
