You are your own worst critic.
The image above (this
isn’t me by the way) is a representation of my high school years. Insecure,
awkward, and stressed out of my mind. On the walks to my next class, I had the idea
that the other students I passed by were all staring at me. Judging my faded
old clothes, my afro hairstyle, and the anxious look on my face. My adolescence
was spent worrying about what others thought about me. I constantly pestered my
friends for reassurance about trivial matters like: whether my pose I stood in
place felt too stiff; about whether my laugh sounded too maniacal or at times
too girly; about whether my body looked too thin and frail; and about whether the
clothes I had my eye on buying were cool or not. The anxiety of my appearance
to society remained a part of me throughout my teenage years.
Fast forward to
today and my morale has taken a 180. Just like the man in the image above (this
isn’t me by the way), I am brimming with much more confidence than ever. Instead
of pondering the opinions of hundreds of people, it is much easier to consider
the opinion of one: myself. Over time I grew tired of questioning what others
thought about me and simply asked myself: “Do I like myself? Is there anything
I don’t like about myself?” The strangers around me are too busy focusing on
themselves to worry about focusing on me. Realizing this I have decided to work
on myself. If I was unsatisfied with my body, I exercised. If I disliked a mainstream
song, I listened to something else. If someone commented negatively on my favorite
shirt, I continued to wear it. At the end of the day, the only opinion that matters
is my own.
Hey Kendall!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your memoir! I think it's awesome that you don't focus on what others might be saying or thinking. I believe we all go through that where in reality it is all in our heads. The ending of your blog was spot on with the way I live my life. For me, seeking inner peace is the key in feeling confident. Once you have reached that, the world becomes an amazing place to be and your attitude towards everything else changes. I like your vibe and I will definitely check back on your blogs. Keep up the positivity!
Hi Kendall,
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to your six-word memoir. I love the back story tied into it as well. I also struggled with criticizing myself too harshly, especially in High School and the beginning of my college years. It takes a lot to finally be comfortable in your own skin and don't take other people's opinions too personally. Everybody is going through their own thing and the only person you're really stuck with at the end of the day is yourself, so that's the person you should focus and care about the most. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hi Kendall!
ReplyDeleteI think at one point in our lives we all kind of relate to how you felt. Society (and even other people!) can judge others too hard. People tend to not always focus on whether or not someone is a good person or just kind in general, because humans take too much consideration into "first impressions" and outer appearances. I'm glad that you've found yourself and learned to enjoy who you are. I'm almost positive that you probably carry yourself with a certain confidence, because you're learning to be happy with who you are. This way, you'll attract more of the real people in your life, people that love you unconditionally for who you are :)
Great post!
Yliana Alba
Hi Kendall,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your blog in so many ways, from the start to the beginning!
It is true that through high school we are, more often than not, worried about superficial and materialistic things. When someone says or posts on social media about how they miss their high school, the only thing that crosses my mind is "can't relate." The one difference though, I did not really worry about what others thought of me, but of what I thought of myself. I was not really comfortable in my own skin, but I guess that the environment that we were exposed to did not really help with that.
I agree with you that confidence is the key. It takes time and hard work to get to that place of confidence that we should all be in, but at the end of the day it is worth it. Also, you are absolutely right to say that the only opinion that matters is your own. As long as we accept ourselves the way we are, we are able to achieve anything that we want.
Thanks for sharing!
Julianna Jimenez
Powerful ideas, Kendall. I can really relate too--I was never super cool, part of any in-group, and I felt like I lived on the outside of whatever inside might be. I realized much later than most people feel like that. Sometimes I still have to remind myself.
ReplyDelete