As I grew up, I always did what my friends wanted us to do. Where they wanted to go, what they wanted to eat, and all around just followed their moves. I was quiet and never spoke up. That seemed to be my role in the group: the follower. Always there to just do whatever and not complain.

I grew to dislike my complacent role with my friends. I didn’t like how quiet I was and how I always was left to be the one to just smile, nod, and always listen. I wanted to speak up, to have others listen to me. But I felt as if I wasn’t interesting enough or had good enough stories to share or be worth anyone else’s time.

Since being in college, I’ve realized that it’s time for me to stop lowering my standards with what I accept in my life. I don’t need to do things to please others because I shouldn’t value others’ opinions more than what my own. I am an interesting person and have things worth sharing.

This may make me seem like a cold-hearted person who doesn’t care about others. That’s not the case at all. All I’m saying is that I’ve recognized the value that I have with my thoughts and opinions, and that I’m not going to be a part of something that I don’t genuinely want to be involved with. I’m staying true to myself and keeping my best interests at heart.

Worrying about what others think about me shouldn’t be at the top of things that I pay attention to. At the end of the day, what truly matters is what I think of myself. Not what others think.

I live each day to better myself and to do things that will help me grow as a person. All of this comes from watching my dad as I grew up. I watched as he shrugged off what others thought of him because they don’t matter. Because he’s not going to lower his personal standards just to appease someone else. It was difficult to take these beliefs and put them into practice myself because it was a complete difference from how I carried my life.

I don’t regret a thing. I’ve grown more as a person, become more outspoken about things I believe in, and become more confident with myself. I look back on how I was before and I wish I had told myself I needed to change sooner. I feel happier now, with both the relationships I have with people, and with myself.

Setting standards for yourself to live by isn’t always a bad thing. Knowing what you expect from others and from yourself doesn’t mean you’re overly picky or too stubborn to accept anything else. Rather, it’s an understanding of what you need to make yourself happy and a better person as a whole. It doesn’t matter what others think of you so much as what you think of yourself. If you’re happy with how you are and how you’re living your day to day life, then, in my opinion, you’re doing it right. I promise you that you will come out a better person, stronger, and more confident as a whole.