I Is Who I Is.

"Be yourself" is one of the most overused phrases in American culture.

Yet, it's actually kind of valid.

We as people need to figure out who we are and what we want to become. I think being yourself is not just doing what you want to do when you want to do it. Being yourself is more about showing who you really are inside to others, and most people struggle with that. We are so fake on the outside. We act nice or act mean to impress people. Why don't we ever just act like how we feel on the inside? I probably do that too much lately, but I used to not and that was worse. People expect you to fake it; to fake being okay when you're not because otherwise it's just not socially acceptable. Then, they go and say things like, "You shouldn't hide your emotions, just be yourself, or don't be afraid to speak up." It is so confusing. How are we ever supposed to know what to do? So I say, just be yourself and when you feel like you need to say something, say it, regardless of what others will say, or if you don't think you need to, just don't for a little bit.

I also think being yourself is expressing who you are inside on the outside. Most people have a pretty easy time doing this. Artsy people wear artsy clothes or maybe dye their hair different. Plain people are usually pretty plain, t shirt and jeans type of dressers. Athletes wear sweats a lot. I'm all over the place. I don't really know what specifically I am. I'm not in a group. Some days I'm wearing my plaid and boots, another I'm wearing a classy dress, the next I'm wearing something totally artsy and random. But that still expresses who I am, because I don't really know. I have interests in so many different things and I like so many different styles that I just want to try it all out. I'm not exactly sure what I specifically want to become. So I guess that's who I am...just spontaneous and creative for now.

Being yourself is not an excuse to go completely nuts. Just because you've always struggled with something does not mean it has to be a part of "who you are." You can overcome it. Something that is wrong does not define who you are, or at least it doesn't have to. You can find something you love that's good; that's a way of being yourself. You just need to act like you who you are and more importantly, who you want to be.