Recently, I have come to the realization that not everyone is going to like me. I have spent my entire life trying to please everyone because I couldn’t imagine living my life knowing someone didn’t like me. I tried and tried, but somehow not everyone was my biggest fan. I remember my junior year of high school when someone said to me “you never gave me a reason not to like you; I just don’t like you.” That statement tore me up for weeks. I couldn’t figure out how to fix their opinions of me and I felt like I had failed myself. It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I learned that it’s okay for people not to like me.
There is a sense of peace you develop when you come to this realization. It is a time in your life when you stop living for others and doing whatever it takes to please them, and you begin to love yourself for who you are and understand that that’s all you need. This is something I wish I had learned so much sooner in my life because it feels like a sigh of relief. I am now living for myself… and you should be, too.
It is such a difficult task to not care what people think about you and everything that makes you who you are. A lot of the time, people will say they don’t care what others think, but it usually isn’t the case. It is so hard to do what you love because you’re worried what others will think of you, but it’s something that needs to happen. You are a beautiful individual and everyone deserves the chance to see the real you. However, not everyone is going to love the real you like you should be and that’s okay.
If everyone loved everyone then there would be no reason to try to improve ourselves. Even if we are happy with whom we are, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to grow more as an individual. If everyone you knew looked at you like the sun itself was in your eyes, then why would you be motivated to grow? You would end up doing exactly what you’re trying to prevent; you would stay the same when your mind wants to grow, which is ultimately changing who you are for someone you aren’t.
You are worth so much more than someone’s opinion of you. The odds of that person knowing all of your mannerisms or the fact that you like to write beautiful poetry when you can’t sleep or you aspire to help handicapped children when you’re older is near impossible. No one really knows who you are on the inside and out. The only person who knows who you truly are is yourself. The only person you need to make sure likes you is you. Sit in a coffee house alone and think about who you want to be and why. Think about what difference you want to make in the world. Think about how you are worth so much more than the opinion the girl in your English 200 class thinks of you.
