As an outcast throughout my life in middle and high school, I actually surprisingly found it to be quite fortunate looking back on it. At the time it wasn’t great, I was really shy, didn’t have too many friends, and a lot of kids thought I was weird and tried to pick on me. What it taught me very quickly was to not care about what other people think about me. This is one of life’s most important lessons in my opinion; if you’re constantly worried about what others are thinking about you, you’ll always be self-conscious of your decisions, achievements, and overall lifestyle.
It wasn’t until I got to college and started talking with a variety of other people that I realized, many people have not grasped this concept yet. I totally get it, it’s a very hard thing to not be conscious of how others see you and what they think of you, and if I had not been forced to learn this early on, I’d probably be in that same boat. In fact, I went through a rough period of time where those insecurities started creeping in again because of certain people I allowed close to me who were overly concerned about the judgement of others.
What’s important to remember is that you are your own person. At the end of the day, you’re in charge of whatever you want to do with your life. You can be your true self and create the life you want, as long as you don’t allow other people’s opinions of you to dictate your decisions. Remember, you don’t even like everyone! Not everyone has to like you or your choices. Once you let go of the opinions of others, you’ll feel a freedom that allows you to be at peace with the most important person: yourself.
