From the time we enter junior high, and sometimes even before then, society starts to influence the way we see ourselves. We see media ads that tell us what we should wear, how much we should weigh, and even how to act. That's when this strange idealized standard of what people want to see starts ruling your life. Some people care so much about what people think, they end up losing themselves behind the facade they put on for other people's benefit. The bottom line is, life isn't worth living if you can't live it by your own rules.
I remember high school being, for me, the worst place when it came to self-expression. I was in marching band for two years and I loved it, but was also secretly embarrassed at times because of all the jokes people cracked about band kids. But I remember the day I looked around at my classmates and thought to myself, "I don't give a sh*t what any of you think." I would rather hang out with a bunch of nerds talking about what rating they hoped to get on their grade five saxophone solo than pretending to be interested in a shallow television show or what color I wanted my nails to be that season. I can't tell you how free I felt from that day on. In college it got even better. The same girl that was singing in bars with her older brother and performing in school musicals ended up joining an amazing sorority and buying a crappy 1998 beetle with no air conditioner and a bad paint job. I'm a walking controversy. And guess what? I love it. But what's better is that I started speaking my mind, wearing what I wanted and embracing who I was. I blossomed. I created an image for myself, by myself.
Think of it this way, if you carry the burden of other people's opinions on your shoulders forever you'll never know who you're actually capable of being all by yourself. If you don't like something, stay away from it. To be honest, most people won't care as much as you make yourself believe. Everyone is learning who they are as they go, just like you. So there's no reason to believe that someone else's way is the better way. If you stop listening to other people's opinions you'll begin to hear your own for once and discover dreams and ideas you never knew you had. You begin to live for yourself, which is how it should be since this is your journey and it's the only one you get.
Life is too short to dwell on other people's opinions, unless they're giving you a paycheck each week. In the end you only have yourself, and the only person who needs to be okay with who you are, is you. So, stop caring about what people think and start living.
