There have been many times in my life when people disagreed with me. Growing up, I was a little more shy than others and not as outspoken as I am today because I was scared of people disagreeing with my opinion. I hated when I would put my thoughts and opinions out in the open with my friends, and they would think it was wrong or stupid. I would get so embarrassed and not want to offer my opinions anymore, and I especially did not want to be the one to disagree with anyone. As a child, I wanted to go with the flow and just be like everyone else.

As an adult, some things have changed.

Now that I have life experience and I have learned to love myself a little more, I realized along the way that I lacked self-confidence as a child and that was why I did not want anyone disagreeing with me. I am now proud to say that I value my own thoughts and opinions and I am not afraid to express them.

Many people today feel that someone disagreeing with them that it is a bad thing, but it's not! As long as you are somewhat respectful and try to see their side, then disagreeing with another person is healthy. Going through life thinking that yours is the only opinion that matters, or if you feel like your thoughts are not to be shared out loud, then I feel bad for you. Hearing other people's thoughts and opinions are what makes life interesting. If everyone shared the same thoughts and opinions, what would we talk about? What would we learn?

For me, I like when I disagree with people for the most part. Some people take disagreeing too far by judging a person differently just because they have opposing views—I've even done it myself—but it's not the best thing to do. When you disagree with someone and have a discussion, it's interesting when it turns into a debate rather than just name-calling... so don't be that guy who turns to insults when having a debate. Just try to remember that they think their opinion is right just like you think yours is right. If you are the type of person who will disagree with me and at least respect my thoughts, then you're a well-rounded and well-adjusted person in my book. Disagreements and respect should always go hand in hand or it could turn into pointless yelling and name-calling.

I love having a good debate on a topic with someone. Yes, the person is disagreeing with me and of course, it could get frustrating at times, but I always learn so much about that person when the debate is over. Disagreeing with someone is okay! In fact, I encourage it! You realize how much you care about yourself and your opinion once someone opposes it. You also can see how passionate the other person is about their opinions as well and it is awesome to be able to witness.

So go out there and disagree with someone's opinion... let someone disagree with you! Embrace others thoughts and ideas instead of tuning them out. Just remember to be respectful and maybe end up agreeing to disagree, but don't be afraid to have that disagreement first... it is okay. The day we all learn that everyone has different ideas and thoughts will be a great day for humanity!