Welcome to the 21st century, where the pressure to be and conform a certain way saturates the air we breathe. The pressure to look, act, and be a certain way can sometimes be so overwhelming and constraining; we often times just succumb to it without a thought or blink. It's becoming such a natural force to follow what everyone else does mindlessly. It's a natural tendency to want to fit in, to feel accepted and wanted.

But why should we allow everything but ourselves to control us?

It becomes so easy to wrap yourself up in what everyone else thinks is acceptable. Trends and fads come and go, but when was the last time you did something without worrying if you were taking the perfect Snapchat story for all to see? Wearing clothes because others will approve of them? When was the last time you did something solely because it made you genuinely happy?

Why settle for mediocracy? Why put your life on the back burner for the approval of others? Why hide who you truly are and how you truly feel? What's the point? What good will it do?

People won't agree with you. Not everyone will like the way you walk, the way you talk, or the way you are. But spending so much effort on trying to please everyone and everything is exhausting and honestly not worth it. Your opinion is all that really matters at the end of the day, anyway. Nobody can give you genuine respect and love unless you give it to yourself first. Why do you feel the responsibility to meet others' needs? Allowing people to influence you in some aspects may be beneficial, but once you feel your choices are controlled and driven by those influences, is when you need to take a step back and reevaluate. The worst thing to lose...is yourself.

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" - Dr Seuss

The other day I went to a concert with one of my good friends. I couldn't help but be distracted by the shorter girl in front of me obstructing my view. With her being several inches shorter than myself, how was she blocking my view you ask? Her phone. Snapchat after Snapchat she posted to her story got me wondering multiple things:

1. She is videoing so much...is she even watching the concert?

2. Don't her arms hurt from all this filming?

3. Do her friends even care to watch every 6 videos per song she is posting?

This poor soul was so invigoratingly caught up in watching the concert from her screen that she wasn't able to be present where she was. She was so concerned about her image of having a fun time and showing everyone where she was that she wasn't even at the concert having fun. She was sending a message that lacked substance because her experience was lacking substance, as well.

Shel Silverstein wrote one of the most simplistic and thought-provoking poems in just a few short lines. "She had blue skin and so did he. He kept it hid and so did she. They searched for blue their whole life through. Then passed right by — and never knew."

They never expressed their true colors and never meet their perfect match. What are you holding yourself back from by not showing your true colors?

What's wrong with just being you?