The
place we live in, the people we hang out with, and the things we see on TV or on the Internet. Society has shaped and re-shaped us, and it dawns on me. Have
I changed so much that I don’t know who I am anymore?
Sometimes
it is scary to admit the changes we accept in our lives. I say that I’m one of
those. I always tell myself that, “No, I haven’t changed. It’s still me. I’m
just growing up.” But no, people see it. My friends see it and my family sees
it. In fact, the person who is now typing this is not exactly the same person
you’ve known for the past years. I am a different person now.
When
I was in elementary I love going out in baggy clothes, and my hair is, if not
always, most of the time in braids. I looked like a version of Missy Elliott.
Imagine that. However, college came and suddenly a lot changed. Before: I wear
shorts, but not short shorts and definitely not outside the house; make-up’s my
number two (2) enemy after snakes; I don’t care about my hair, as long as it’s
“okay”; I accept everything, even if I disagree; and as much as I could, I
would never wear anything girly. Now: I developed a liking in going out wearing
shorts; as much as possible, I try to not forget to apply even just a balm or
gloss on my lips when I leave the house; I fix my hair to the best I could,
sometimes even styling them based on what I learnt from watching the videos in
YouTube; I developed the thinking of “I always have a choice to say no, if I
have to. I am human. I can make decisions too”; if appropriate to dress girly, I
will dress girly. Aside from all of that, I have become more adventurous, more
open, and more positive towards the situations that I face. I start to not care
so much about being weird and different. In fact, it is something that I
treasure and hold on to, because it is something that distinguishes me from the
rest.
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| Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Droid_-_change-and_it-s_on_(by).jpg |
People
grow up. You grow up, they grow up, and even I grow up. It’s just that
sometimes there are those who mature earlier than the others, and we should
accept that. Change is not something we should be afraid to admit. We should
embrace it because through change, we learn and we discover who we are. The
process is not important as long as you stay true to who you are, and you change
for the better. You don’t have to do it for the sake of people telling you to,
because it won’t last. You have to have the drive to change because you want to
become a better person. Some things may not work according to plan, but that’s
the point. Because if everything will work accordingly, then you wouldn’t have
to change anything and everything that could have been “excellent” will just be
“OK”. We all want, as much as possible, to be on top of the class. But in order
to do that, we should be willing to accept change because that’s the only thing
in this world, right now, that is inevitable.
There are so many things that we
see around us and sometimes it makes it hard for us to know what is right and
what is wrong. But as individuals, we should be responsible enough to not let
our minds be influenced by things that we know would be harmful to us. Let us
not drown ourselves with other people’s voices. I’m still on the verge of fully
knowing myself, and I know that is not something I should be shy of. Every day
is a new learning to me, and it goes to all of you too. Just stay happy, stay
strong, and don’t be afraid to be you.
