Be you. Be yourself. Two simple words, right? But why is it so hard for many people to be themselves? We tend to get consumed with trying to fit in. We don’t want to stand out too much. We want to be accepted. And to be like everyone else is to gain acceptance, huh? I don’t think so.

I am glad I never felt the need to try to fit in. While I have not always been secure within myself, I had enough sense to know that I did not want to be anyone else but myself. Now, don’t equate acceptance with popularity… but everyone wants to be accepted by someone. But to obtain this acceptance by pretending to be someone that you’re not? What IS that? What does that say about the relationship you have with this individual or these persons? Most likely, it’s not worth having if you have to wear a mask and hide who you really are.

I am ALL for change and making yourself be a better person… but I do believe sometimes people try to make drastic changes only in hopes of fitting in more. That, I think, is not such a good thing. I read a quote somewhere that goes “why be a copy when you were born an original?” or something of that sentiment… I think of myself as an original (although me and my best friend are insanely similar). I LOVE being myself. Sometimes being myself results in me being labeled weird or different. Can I tell you guys a secret though? I actually enjoy being told that I am abnormal aka not average .

I have to do a better job of updating this thing, huh? Three posts since Jan 30th (well now four, including this one). I think I am doing much better than last year, haha. I have absolutely no clue as to what to write on this blog, but I DID tell myself I would make this site more personal, so I suppose I can talk about something that occurred this past weekend (sn: added a photos section to make it more personal).

I was standing on the escalator while my best friend decided to walk up the escalator. Out of nowhere, this guy taps me on my shoulder and just started speaking to me. He wasn’t disrespectful or hostile or anything, so I figured I’d hold a conversation with him (and his friend, who was there, too). He asked me several times if he could have my number and to which I replied “no.” He asked for my Facebook. He asked if I had a Myspace. Every answer was NO. He just wouldn’t accept that (he should’ve read my article on approaching women and pay attention to #7). Eventually he stopped talking to me when I told him I did not want to be ANYTHING with him (he asked if we could be friends, associates, and even business partners O_o). At some point during the conversation, he asked me if I was biracial because I spoke properly. He told me that I could not be “regular Black.”

Regular Black. Regular Black? What does that even mean?? I told him I was not mixed, I was indeed African-American and he looked baffled. I was offended and saddened by his ignorance. He basically insinuated that speaking properly is something that other races do and not Black people. Never have I associated speaking properly with a certain race. It’s just so ignorant.

The above quote is a status I posted on Facebook this past week. I wrote it after an incident at work. The quote, however, can really apply to ALL situations. Sometimes we get worked up over experiences from the past. Although the issue is over and done with, we still hold onto the negative feelings that resulted from it. We try to analyze the situation. We replay what went wrong over and over again. Maybe your significant other left you. Maybe you failed a big exam. Maybe you didn’t the job you interviewed for. Are those big deals? OF COURSE, but is staying stuck on the situation really helping you out? Not really. It’s better to try and move forward. Better said than done, right?

I am the QUEEN of overanalyzing situations (mind you, I overanalyze, not necessarily stress over it). I am trying my best to do better though. I have learned that while the past is important, wasting energy on something that is no longer in my power to change (the past) is foolish. What I should be doing is making solutions to the problems. Or making preparations to avoid plans going awry in the future. I should be learning from my mistakes :).

On a super sidenote, I am going to work on adding some layouts I had created last year… Never had the energy to add them but I suppose it’s now or never! And I’m thinking of adding a photos section to my site. Not so sure I want to have my pictures all on here, but I am considering it.