Have you ever thought to yourself, "Why am I so different? Why can't I be more like everyone else?" I sure have – almost every day! Throughout the years, I have realized that my personality isn't "normal" and doesn't fit the traditional mold that our culture has so heavily enforced upon us. I'm loud, sometimes abrasive, blunt, extremely sarcastic, happy, and sometimes overbearing. For a long time, I considered all of those to be bad or negative qualities. I would try to suppress my emotions so as to not drive people away. I wanted to be loved and accepted no matter what type of person I had to morph into. I had three to five different masks that I would put on depending on the group of people I was around. However, I ended up being an extremely depressed teenager who never felt like I could express myself. Throughout the last four years, I have started to accept who I am and who God created me to be. Some days I still hear the lies: "You're not good enough. Nobody loves you for who you are. You need to change to make other people happy." But on the days when I just say, "Screw it," and live in my personality, I have the best days of my life! If you feel like you're different and everyone else around you is normal, please know you're not alone! Here are four things I started accepting and doing that allowed me to fully embrace my personality and live life in the best possible way I could!
1. If they don't love you for YOU, then they're not worth it.
Your true self is worthy of being loved and treasured, not judged and condemned.
2. It's not your responsibility to change so that people will accept you.
If they judge you based on your looks or personality, then that is something they need to fix, not you!
3. Start to value yourself!
This is such a cliche term, and it is used so often. But when you really think about the meaning behind it, are we actually doing that? Do we value who we are as a person and who God created us to be?
4. If you're constantly changing yourself to fit a mold, people are missing out on the REAL YOU!
Who knows what treasure is hidden beneath that mask? Take the mask off and let people see you. Someone needs what you have to offer; if you cover that, then you are not only hurting yourself but possibly those around you.
These may seem scary at first, but the more you start to embrace yourself, the more you're able to accept yourself. We're all a little quirky, and that's okay! Being different is what adds culture and diversity to this world. Start to embrace your "difference" and let others see you shine!
