Being yourself is a battle we're all struggling with each and every day. We try to maneuver our way through life figuring out which side of us is actually our true selves. Even if it means losing a few people in our lives in the process. Going through life as I did, I struggled with the idea of what it means to being my honest, authentic self and figuring out what that means for me in terms of what I want to do, who I want to be with, who I want in my life and what I want from life.

Being our true authentic selves is taking us to a place where we don't fall prey to the standards of what this world puts on us. Where being us doesn't mean falling in line with what everyone thinks is cool to do, or what society thinks but most importantly what we think about ourselves and how we interact with the world. I wish sometimes that I was myself throughout my life, but I wasn't I was so worried about what others think that I didn't give much thought to my own happiness with myself and who or what I want in my life.

Being myself has been something I've been struggling with for a long time, with me being black I had a feeling of being an outsider within the black community, of worrying what I need to like or don't like since I'm black, how I'm supposed to sound, etc. I've really struggled with that part of my identity till I came to college and made the friends I have made, and being on this journey of knowing myself, loving myself and being myself no matter what.

We are on this earth to put our own unique print in it, not to have the same print as everyone else. We are unique individuals that deserve to be loved for who we truly are, not what is expected of us in how we are supposed to do, speak, or live. Being ourselves is what helps this world see how amazing it could be if we looked past the labels, the expectations, the masks, and truly see what people are. We are not robots designed to be the same, we are humans designed to be different, to be loving, bold, imaginative, brave, determined, accepting of one another.

We are so focused on pleasing one another that we sometimes forget to please ourselves, and what we want from life as well. Sometimes this world is cruel and stops us from being unique and different. We are forces of nature that give life to the very ground we stand on, and give each other reasons to keep pushing on and be unapologetically real with not only ourselves but with each other as well.

It is easier said than done in this trip we call life, we sometimes get lost, get to the destination we're excited for, make friends along the way, and make memories that will last a lifetime all in the while making sure we don't lose ourselves in the process and enjoying more of the journey than the destination.