Be Yourself
Who am I exactly?
It's a question that I have been pondering about for a while now. What does it mean to be me? I had spent so long hiding away who I truly was in fear of judgment and disapproval from others. I had this belief that no one would like me if I were to be my natural self.
I crafted this version of myself for who I should be, not who I wanted to be. I wanted to fit in, be well liked, and meet everyone's expectations. And over time, I started to lose focus of my actual self.
"I wanted to fit in, be well liked, and meet everyone's expectations"
I constantly held back my personality. I became shy and soft-spoken, never being the one to speak up first. I restrained myself from voicing out my opinions and letting my feelings be known. I feared I would say something that someone would disagree with. I kept a low profile and avoided social settings. If I wasn't around much then the chances of me rubbing someone the wrong way would diminish... right? I became this completely different person–my actions did not correlate with my thoughts.
Eventually, I got tired of having to pretend to be someone that I wasn't. I love sharing my thoughts on topics and getting into the nitty-gritty. I'm a rebel and questioner. I love to challenge pre-existing concepts. These were traits that I was holding back because I was so afraid of being myself.
I believe we all forget that we have one life to live. Do we want to spend the entirety of it chasing after people for their validation and acceptance of us? Do we want to change the very essence of who we are to please and accommodate others?
They're toxic habits that everyone needs to rid themselves of. We shouldn't ever be afraid to be ourselves. The only validation we should seek is that of ourselves. We have one life, and we should live it the way we truly want to.