I Am Me, and I Won't Change for Anyone

Why is it difficult not to care about what others think of you? Do we control the way other people see and think about us?

Self-expression is one of the most important aspects of one’s life. Unfortunately, this potentially is the most judged thing about someone. One can express themselves through clothes, hair, and their natural personality, the list goes on, but often times, you cannot be yourself because of what other people think of you.

No matter how much you want to express yourself freely, there will always be that slight fear of other peoples’ opinions. It is difficult to not care about what other people think of you because if you are judged or thought of poorly, it is a low blow to your self-esteem. We as people naturally want to so badly be seen by others in a light that is accepted, that we often times hid who we truly are; unique.

By the absolute need of wanting to feel accepted, we alter ourselves to “fit in” to our society. This is potentially “controlling” how others see and think about us, but does it make us happy? Personally, I would say no, not really. No matter what the circumstance is, the majority of people morph themselves into something that they believe would be allowed and accepted by other people’s own thoughts, not their own.

Bringing this through provoking situation into my own world, I can honestly claim myself as guilty of altering myself in the past. I used to think so highly of how people would think of me, that it eventually got to me. I still expressed myself how I wanted, but people would see and think of me differently than I desired. Now, I believe that I am truly happy with myself and honestly do not think all that much of what other people think of me. To me, as long as I am happy with who I am and how I present myself, I am comfortable within my own skin.