Motivational Monday: Be True to Who You Are

Image Credit: Sad but True Tumblr

Hi there! I decided to start the new blogging year off on a motivational note (even though it technically started yesterday, but we can just ignore that little bit) by attacking a topic that is very important to me: being true to yourself. I know, I know, it’s been covered quite a bit by pretty much everyone at some point. I briefly touched on it back in October, so today, I wanted to go a bit more in depth. I’ve also been through a bit over half of my freshman year, so I feel like I have a better grasp of it all now, which I’d like to share. Obviously.

But first, I just wanted to say that I'm not trying to offend anyone who chooses to do any of the things I'm about to mention and am trying to sound all mighty or whatever. I'm just stating my opinion. :)

Being told to be true to ourselves is nothing new. I’m sure that has been engrained in our brains since we were little and the little mantra will remain for the rest of our lives, but as a teenager myself, I’ve noticed how hard it can be and that little mantra gets clouded by pressure from the media and our peers to act, dress, and behave a certain way. Not to sound like one of those government commercials on TV, but as teenagers, we’re so susceptible to it all and it’s kind of scary to think about, you know?

As I mentioned before in that other post, I went through a phase where I wanted to dress like the popular girls, even if their clothes were considerably more expensive than what I was usually comfortable with affording. I’d wait until there was a big sale and then get some stuff to look like them. After two years of that, I guess I grew up, learned my lesson, and got my own sense of style. After two years, I’m actually really, really happy. So what changed?

Especially if you’re still in school, I’m sure you notice the copycats. You know, the girls who all wear the same thing and kind of all act the same that make up the majority of the school. I’m also sure you’ve been in situations where it seems as if everyone is doing a certain thing whether it be legal or not, breaking the rules or not and you probably felt pressured to follow the group. I felt a lot of that in middle school and honestly, maybe it’s a good thing to live a little, but if it keeps you up at night, maybe not so much.

Image via WeHeartIt (I just thought this was just adorable, man.)

If doing something or following the herd feels wrong to you, just don’t do it. Like, it’s not rocket science, man. I do realise that it’s so much easier said than done and that if you go against the current, you’re afraid that you won’t have anyone to stand by you and will be declared a loser, but trust me, you’ll be able to find those true friends. It does take a lot of courage and maybe you’ll have to swallow your pride, but it’s worth it.

The next time that you’re out with a few friends and they decide to do something crazy or even if it’s not anywhere near that extreme and they make fun of someone and you’re not okay with it, speak up. Speak your mind. Go into your closet and finger through it. Did you buy everything because of the brand or because you actually adored it? We’re definitely all guilty of buying something just because of the name that goes with it, but let’s try to keep it to a minimum, shall we?

Image Credit: Tumblr

Not to be totally cheesy or anything, but there is only one you in the world, so be true to who you are. If you don’t know who you are because after all, we’re just teenagers, take some time to figure that out. It’ll definitely improve your overall happiness for sure.

One last thing before I go – you know how I mentioned those copycats earlier? Well, I was struck by this odd thought: If all us teenage (or not, haha) fashion lovers who read these blogs and what not got together, would we look like those copycats? Share your stories and thoughts on all this down below!

Thank you so much for reading!

- J

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