As I grow older, I find myself starting to think more deeply about if I’m happy with the path that I am on and where I am going. There is one thing that stands out the most and has always been a gap in my happiness. I have always cared too much what others think of me. I let others have a major affect on where I want to travel, guys I want to date, what I want to wear, and how I act in front of others. I have begun to realize that the people who truly love and care about me shouldn’t care what I wear. They should accept the way I act. They may not agree completely with guys I want to date or places I may want to travel to, but they want me to do what is going to make me happy. I want to surround myself with those who are looking out for my best interest rather than for their own ulterior motives.

I used to be completely embarrassed by my naturally curly hair and my fair skin. I straightened my hair every day to the point where some people had no idea that I even had extremely curly hair. I put on fake tanner or went to a tanning bed so I had some color. Then one day, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was covering up my natural beauty because I was fearful of not being pretty enough or people making comments to me. When I finally started wearing my hair natural, wearing less makeup and stopped focusing on being tan, I found myself being so much happier. I finally embraced who I was and began to love it. I made the decision to let my hair be wild and my skin be pale, even if that wasn’t popular.

Every one of us is on our own journey in life. One decision that may have been wrong for yourself, may not be wrong for someone else and vice versa. We can give someone our advice and what we think is best for them but at the end of the day, the decision is theirs to make. I have found that it is better to have a few people who truly care about you and your happiness rather than having people who give you advice that you either want to hear or to have your decision benefit them instead. I have learned from experience that genuine friends are hard to come by.

For all of the people who are constantly worried about what others think about them, let it go. It’s okay to be different. Hell, it’s so much better to be different. We aren’t meant to be just like everyone else. Live your life the way that makes you happy. Surround yourself with those who love you and want the best for you. It’s not about the number of people we have in our lives, but the quality of people.