Too many people worry so much about what others think of them. People feel like they have to judge every little thing about the others around them, which usually leads to other people not feeling comfortable with just being themselves. With this kind of judgment around, it makes people feel the need to hide who they truly are and act a certain way in an attempt to please the people around them.

People feel like they can’t look a certain way, act a certain way, or like certain things without facing the harsh and unnecessary judgment of others. I used to feel this way too. I would only act without care around my close friends, I even held off around family members. I would act quieter than I really am, and it kept me from having fun. It took some time, but I have now realized that it is not worth wasting my life trying to please everyone around me. I should be worried about making the most of my life, having fun, and doing things that make me happy and things that I think I should be doing. Since this realization, I have become a much happier and more open person. Not caring about the opinions of others really helps to make you a better version of yourself.

Media is one of the main reasons people struggle with this. The media is always posting about the “ideal people”, how they act and how they look. Those are things that you cannot control. You can change these things to try and please people, but it’s only an act. It doesn’t do you any good to be acting like a completely different person than who you are just for the benefit of others. Everything on the media now only seems to be out there to discourage people from showing their true personalities. It’s getting better as the months and years pass, but all of the moves in the positive direction of accepting oneself are overshadowed by the negatives. I can’t wait for a time where the ideal person is only a very small portion of the media.

This would help so many people realize that they don’t need to change everything about themselves to please others. You shouldn’t feel the need to change anything about yourself at all unless it is for you. Those are the kind of decisions that you should only be making for yourself, and no one else. If someone keeps telling you that you have all of these bad qualities that need to be changed, they aren’t worth having in your life. You deserve to have people in your life who care about the real you and want to get to know who you really are. The only important people in your life are the ones who can accept you for whoever you are.

I am very thankful to have reached this point so early on in my life. It has definitely improved over the last year, and it has made my life so much easier. I don’t care if people give me weird looks for dancing to my favorite songs in public. I’m having fun and that’s all I care about. Of course, it brings me down a little when I hear something negative said, but that’s normal. You’ll probably still be affected by criticism, but as long as you don’t let it get to you, it’s fine.

I’ll be mad or upset for an hour at most, and then I’ll make myself get over it because it just doesn’t matter. I know who I am and who I want to be, I don’t need to worry about what other people want from me. They can’t change anything about me and neither can I. There comes a point when you realize that you just need to get over it. I realized that I didn’t want to spend my time at college constantly worrying about what others are thinking about me and if I was annoying or upsetting anyone. I want to spend my time at college having a good time, making good memories, and working to find even more about myself and becoming the best me I can be.

That should be everyone’s goal. To become the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. It all starts by just being you. So, do what you love and just be you.