“Be who you are and let everyone love that person.” – Wiz Khalifa. In my life this quote has carried a lot of meaning for me. For someone who has lived in different states and attended multiple different schools, you have a lot of different experiences and meet a variety of people. Something I’ve learned throughout all of this is that not everyone is going to like you, no matter how hard you try. It’s inevitable that there’s always going to be those people who you just don’t mesh well with. However, one thing to remember is that life is short and you should never waste time pretending to be someone else to satisfy others. In today’s society I feel like a lot of us, especially teenagers and young adults, face an identity crisis so we put on a mask of someone that we aren’t to seek gratification from others. It’s a concept of trading authenticity for approval that happens way too often. 

Oftentimes we get so caught up in inserting ourselves in a certain “crowd”, or “clique”, that before we know it we lose ourselves and forget who we are. Overall I can tell you at least it’s not worth it. Do what makes you happy, laugh at what you think is funny. Overall, to make friends, you don’t really have to go out of your way and be over the top. The key is to be yourself and those like minded people will fall into your life. 

Another common misconception is that we need a big group of people in our lives to make us happy. No matter if it’s one person, or one hundred people, as long as they appreciate you for who you are, those people are all you need. Not the people who just care about what you have to offer or what you can give to them, the ones that genuinely enjoy you for your unique and genuine personality.  Throughout my life I realized that you will achieve the most happiness through being the truest form of yourself. 

You will also come to find that unfortunately the ones that were once close and did appreciate you will change. Especially through adolescents some of us experience a fork in the road that will change the destinations into who we become. I had to learn that when those around you become different people that doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Be unapologetically you, and if others can’t adjust or don’t approve that’s on them.I feel like for those kids coming into high school this quote should speak volumes because no matter what you should never lose sight of who you are.

  Your happiness is not worth someone else’s satisfaction so just be who you are and let everybody love that person. I feel like for those kids coming into high school this quote should speak volumes because no matter what you should never lose sight of who you are or were meant to be.