Be proud. More specifically, be proud of who you are.
Like what you like, and always remember- you don’t have to offer anyone an explanation for it.
There are a lot of sad stories out there about people who listened to what other people told them to be or feel or do or like and ended up unhappy about where they end up. Often, they don’t even realize the mistake they’ve made, and they resent the wrong people for the wrong reasons.
One thing I’ve learned about people through my studies is that they project their unconscious vision of themselves onto you. Sometimes that vision reflects positively. Sometimes, that vision is ugly, and it reveals their insecurities about themselves. There’s good and bad to each side of the coin, but the fact remains- people will see themselves in you. We all do this, for better or for worse.
Maybe someday I’ll dig up my old college papers on Freudian theory and find my original sources, but until then, projection can be explained in more detail here.
The kicker is that the people around you who are doing this hold you to those standards of what they see in you. If someone is sensitive, they’re likely to hold the people they love to a standard of sensitivity. Someone who is suffering will go out of their way to ensure that other people suffer too.
I could go on and on with examples, facts, figures, etc, but that’s not the point of this post. The point is to encourage you to be proud of who you are, hold yourself to that standard, and when you need to, let other people know the only standard that you’re living by is your own.
This isn’t easy to do, and it involves some work.
Step One: Figure out who you are.
You need to know who you are in order to be proud of it. Figure out what you like and don’t like. Find things to believe in, find ways to express creativity, discover passion- find YOU. Also, come to terms with the fact that you’re always going to be changing. What you’re passionate about at 20 might be different than 22, 24, 28, 35, 40, 61 etc.
Step Two: Hold yourself to that standard.
You like what you like, and you believe what you believe. Be open minded to differing opinions and embrace them as a chance to learn, but at the end of the day, hold firm in your own heart.
Step Three: Be proud!
It can be damn hard work to remain true to yourself in today’s world. It’s easier than ever to get lost in a sea of opinions and have “what’s right” shoved into your face. Be proud of who you are. When you need to, let other people know that you are an individual, and that you simply don’t see the world through their eyes.
What’s something that’s unique about you? Tell me something you’re proud of about yourself in the comments!
Stephanie Jean 