When I was younger I was always told "treat others how you want to be treated," which is definitely not bad advice. However, it became a problem when I was treating others better than I was treating myself.

I have never wanted (or want) to come across as a selfish person, to myself or others.

When someone says the word "selfish," a lot of people understand it in a negative context. But when I say "being selfish is not selfish," I am trying to say that it is not selfish to put yourself first. It is okay to do what you want to do, to wear what you want to wear, and to live how you want to live. Growing up, I had a hard time coming to the realization that throughout my life, I am going to disappoint a lot of people. But as long as I am happy at the end of the day, it is okay if the others are disappointed.

Accepting this idea is hard at first, and I am still struggling with it to this day. However, I am so much better off now that I realize you can not please everybody. No matter what, there is always going to be something that someone is not happy with or does not approve. By putting myself first and doing what makes me happy and what I approve of, my mental health and happiness is going to be so much better at the end of the day.

I would rather live my life knowing I did what I thought was a good idea, rather than knowing I listened to other people and missed out on so many great opportunities. I think listening to other's opinions is a good and respectful idea, but at the end of the day, you have got to do you!!