Staying True to Yourself

The only way to live your life happily is be who you are, not caring what other people might think or say about it. People are going to judge you anyway, so you might as well forget society and be yourself. You will be judged on your beauty, your size, your personality, your social status. So why worry what others think when they’re going to evaluate you no matter what? You should always be yourself, and not a second version of someone else! Those who judge you don’t define you, they define themselves.

For example, if you wear a mask long enough, you start to forget what you really look like beneath it. That concealment becomes who you are as a person, and once it’s glued on, it’s hard to remove. Even when you do remove it, people will stare in awe at the real face underneath the fake one. Then they will criticize and compare. Maybe say that you should have kept that mask on; after all, it was much better than the new one. Perhaps you’ve already guessed that the mask is makeup. Girls wear makeup to attract people, but what happens when you remove the makeup? If a boy falls in love with your made-up face, what’s he going to think when he sees you without it? It would be like falling in love with the cover of a book, only to find out that the text is mediocre. And no one likes to get their hopes up only to be disappointed.

In addition, being you means that following your heart will happen much easier. If you are pretending to be someone, and your heart tells you to do something that is completely not the person you’re pretending to be, you won’t be able to do it without someone noticing! On the other hand, if you are yourself, doing what your heart says is natural and simple. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” Therefore, you should do what your heart says because either way, someone will disparage you. When you look back on your days and wish you had done something different, big or small, you’re going to realize you should’ve listened to your heart. Life is too short to be living with regrets, and not obeying your heart’s demands is one thing that you will regret forever.