Just Be Yourself Who?!?!

             Don’t you think it’s funny how people always tell you to “just be yourself?” (or if you’re rockin’ it Shakespeare style “to thine own self be true”) I mean, it seems simple enough, right? Just be yourself. Who ever would have suspected that being yourself is probably the single most impossible task anybody could ever ask us to do – and there is AP chemistry in the world.

            The truth is, it’s like ridiculously hard to actually know who “yourself” is. So often our society dictates to us what we should be, how we should behave, essentially, who we are. It’s like we’re some sort of multi-faceted mirror, merely reflecting back the portions of our surroundings we figure people most want to see. But is that really who we are? How can we find who we are in the midst of who has been created out of us?

            I know that it should be easy to tell when you are being true to yourself and when you are faking it for those around you, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I mean, here I am, figuring that I’m a 100% original and unaltered version of me, but if that is the case, why do I constantly feel myself censoring my behavior, adapting to the vibes given by those around me? Seriously, it’s sometimes as if I don’t even know who this person inside of me is anymore, but it still has to be me…right?

            I guess, when it comes down to it, who we are is so many different personalities, emotions, values, and experiences shoved into one tiny (or sometimes not so tiny) package. Like human chameleons, we only show the colors that we know will fit in with those around us and we try our best to bring out the part of ourselves that is most likely to be appreciated in a given situation. The hardest part, of course, is when you realize that there is no part of yourself that seems to fit, that sometimes you have to create a whole new personality just to be a part of something and than is that still you?

            In the end, I suppose you are whoever you decide to be and to “just be yourself” is less of a command and more of a statement of fact. There is no way to be anything but yourself, even if sometimes the yourself isn’t someone you particularly like or approve of. We only have the power to control our own behaviors, act on our own impulses, and speak our own minds. The truth is, even at our lowest points (though we hate to admit it to ourselves) we are being true to who we are.

            Truth is, who ever first said “just be yourself” probably figured he was being tremendously profound and didn’t actually have a freaking clue what he meant by it but just wanted to sound smart. I mean, it’s not like some hard AP Calculus problem that some kids just get and other kids can spend hours on and still end up with a fraction over zero (which I have come to learn is impossible). Nope, finding out who you are is something that everyone struggles with. Yep, even those people who you see walking down the streets in rainbow dresses and pom-pom hairdos, those people you figure must be the most self-confident people on the planet, aren’t totally sure who they are all the time.

            Anyway, guess what I want to leave you with is this idea that you shouldn’t stress about being “yourself” because that’s all you are, and even when you make stupid choices, have regrets, or just plain screw up, those are all parts of the very complicated puzzle (well of 5,000 pieces) that makes up the mosaic of you. So, whatever, it’s all a bit metaphoric and preachy and such but, I honestly believe it to be true. Hopefully though, one day, you’ll meet the people (or just one special person) who can appreciate the full picture and not just the individual parts.

                       

            XOXO

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