Dear Wannabe It Girl,
By Fortune Nyarumwe
I struggled for a long time to fit in with the crew. I wanted to be one of the “it” girls, because I believed that if I could be one of them, I would feel accepted and happy. But conformity cost me so much. It cost me my self -worth; it cost me my dignity. It cost me my sanity and peace of mind; it cost me my joy.
I was surrounded by “friends” yet I was alone. I spent time chasing dreams that were not mine. I wasted my time doing things that didn’t profit me anything. The more I sought to be accepted the more alone I felt. The more I wanted to fit in, the more I loathed myself.
Dear Sis, I wish you never know this struggle.
I hope you will have the courage to free yourself from the bondage of conformity. I hope one day you will be strong enough to be comfortable in your own skin. It’s my sincere desire that you will wear your individuality like a crown on your head, knowing that it’s not for you to “fit in” or fulfill other people’s conceptions of who you are. You, my dear, are not under an obligation to make sense to anyone.
[ctt template=”5″ link=”BcrsO” via=”no” ]There will be people who will challenge you for being different. It’s inevitable that some will reject you. Your friends will be few, but the few you have will be real.[/ctt]
Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Be whoever you are! Don’t be ashamed to be where you are. Be wherever you are. Tomorrow will come; maybe you will be better off than you are today, or maybe you’ll be worse off. It doesn’t matter. The only thing you are guaranteed is what and where you are today.
Don’t live regretting what and who you were yesterday, neither should you spend your time worrying about who or what you will become tomorrow. Be who you are today and enjoy what you have today, because at the end of the day, all you have is today.
And when you come into your own, don’t be stuck-up – that shouldn’t be confused with being unique. Be kind and considerate towards those who tread a different path. Be gracious to those who see the world through different lenses. Their difference doesn’t mean they are above or beneath you. All it means is that they are different – and there is nothing wrong with that.
Love,
I’m So Glad I found Me
