People are always going to try and knock you down. It's just the way the world works. But, that doesn't mean you have to let them.
Throughout my life people have always tried to knock me down. Whether it was for how much I "got around," how much I went out or the way I was raised, people have always seemed to find something about me to pick at. I guarantee most of us have felt that way at one point or another.
For awhile, I used to become consumed by what people thought and said. I desired so much to be liked and "popular" that it completely changed who I was. I lost everyone important to me and was essentially alone by the time I graduated high school.
When I got to college though, I learned that it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to succumb to social pressures or what people think. Every person is who they are for a reason and should embrace that.
That's when I decided to start standing up. For who I am and who I want to be. When I started to stand up, it got easier. Their opinions started to matter less and I became myself again. When you stand up, it doesn't go un noticed. Those friends that I lost throughout high school ended up coming around and giving me another chance.
Along the way I learned a few things.
1. You can't like everyone, and not everyone will like you.
It is near impossible to like everyone you come across in life. We are all so different and unique from one another. But, that's okay. It's not a bad thing that we can't like everyone and not everyone will like us. That was something that was always hard for me to accept, but once I did, life became that much less complicated.
2. The only opinion that matters is your own.
If you like the way you dress, the way you live your life or the person you are then OWN IT. Don't let anyone or their opinion take that away from you.
3. No matter what you do in life, someone is going to try to knock you down.
You could be the most rich, famous, successful or kind person in the world, but someone will always find away to try to find a way to take that away from you. Even if you try to change exactly what that person or those people don't like about you, it's not going to work. By doing that, you will only become more un happy with yourself because it is impossible to make everyone happy. So, stop trying and embrace who you are and if people don't like it, thats their problem.
4. You WILL find your people.
The people in life that are worth having around are the ones who do not try to knock you down or change who you are. When you truly embrace who you are, those people will show up in your life and push you even farther to become who you want to be.
Most importantly, I've learned that when someone tries to knock you down, stand right up.
