People always tell us to “be yourself” and “it's okay to be unique”, yet in the next breath they are criticising someone doing exactly that. Most students feel like we need to dress, talk, and act to impress others. But in a few years, we are never going to see most of these people again. One important life lesson that I have learned is that you don’t need to impress everyone, and you should live to make yourself proud. Be the person that you want to be and figure out what you need to do to accomplish that. Sounds easy enough, but It is not that simple in the day that we live in to do so. Everything feels like a competition and you’re afraid that you will be judged on everything you do. We are afraid that we “aren’t good enough” so we conform to the ways of the people that we believe are “doing it right”.  I’ve learned that you will be judged no matter what you do, and you can’t make everyone happy. I have noticed that the saying,”It’s what’s on the inside that counts” doesn’t really apply to today's society, because when people don’t like what they see on the outside they don't bother to find out what is on the inside. I also know that just because most don’t care doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t. My goal in life is to be an inspiration to others and be remembered for making a positive impact on someone else's life. There have been many people in my life, both friends and family, who have made influences on my life and i want to be able to help others they way that I was. I don't want to be known for making someone feel insecure about who they are. I believe that being different is what makes the world work and changes for progress be made. If we were all the same, nothing would ever get anything accomplished. We need the athletes, the arts, the writers, the cooks, the politicians, and everything in between. They can use their talents to help those who don’t and vice versa. Different opinions help us find a better common ground, because we can learn facts of the other side that we may not have thought about. I believe that we do not need to conform. We also need to be more accepting of people who dare to be different. They are the truly brave ones that I admire.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson