❤ to ❤ : Staying True to YOU!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very big heart and I am passionate about a lot of things. I may not always show it, but I can be a very sensitive and emotional person. Everyone has those times in their lives when they are feeling down about themselves and I found that either writing or reading motivational/inspirational messages have always helped me get through those tough periods. Occasionally when there is something heavy on my heart I will do these heart to hearts with you guys and hopefully they will be as helpful to you reading them as they are to me when I'm typing them...

Growing up I have always been a unique and independent-minded individual. Sometimes I felt like I didn't really fit in with most people and I always wondered why. The older I got the more I began to see why I was feeling this way. If there was a certain way to dress, speak, or act that was popular at the moment I would always attempt to fashion myself around these trends so that I could seem "cool." But instead of feeling cool, my motions always just felt awkward and uncomfortable. Eventually I just stopped trying to be like everyone else and just started trying to be like me. And if that was what was "cool" at the moment, great. But if not, oh well.

I have seen many people completely change who they are over a short period of time in order to fit in with the crowd and become popular. Obviously it's natural for people to grow, but it is very rare for people to change. By change I mean turn into a whole different person than they were before. It's very hard to remain true to yourself in a judgmental world. You never know when your picture could surface on the internet with people poking fun at the way you do your hair, makeup, or dress. So why not just be like everyone else and blend in? Why not just be like everyone else and be cool? Why not just be like everyone else and have tons of "friends?" Why not just completely forget about who you are and fit in?

Because you are you for a reason. If everyone was meant to be the same, we would all be the same. We would have the same skin color, height, weight, hair texture, eye color, etc. But we don't. Our minds and bodies are blank canvases upon which we can draw or paint whatever we want. Not what others want, but what WE want. Being yourself and staying true to who you are is very difficult in today's society, I know from experience. You lose friends and popularity and everything else that you thought mattered. But at the end of the day when you look in the mirror and you can truly say that everything that you did during your day was true to your character, I promise that is the best feeling in the world.

I don't know how religious my readers are but this morning when I was listening to a sermon, the pastor said something that really spoke to me. He said "God cannot bless who you pretend to be." Whether you believe in God or another higher power or nothing at all, I believe that those words still ring true. If you spend your whole life pretending to be something that you're not, eventually those walls will come crashing down and you will be exposed for the fraud that you are. Then what will you have? Will you even know who you are?

So I know that I'm babbling quite a bit but this is something that is so near and dear to my soul. I just want you all to know that it is okay to not be like everyone else. There is nothing wrong with being different. Different is what gets noticed and gets you far. Believe in yourselves and paint your canvases any way that you want.

Smooches,
The College Natural