|
Honey Boo Boo, the Kardashians, Snooki, Kanye West, Bristol Palin, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton.
These are only a few examples of the seemingly endless ranks of high profile people who contribute to the decline of civilized society. That may seem a harsh statement, but I do not feel in any way that I am unfair in my choice of words in saying that little to nothing these celebrities do will influence your life in a positive way. In fact, I believe that the only way in which any of them could benefit your life would be if you were to live your life exactly opposite how they do.
My purpose in stating my opinion on this today is not to bash celebrities. Late night television shows and the rest of the blogosphere takes care of that. My purpose today is to share with you my deeply held belief in the extreme importance of being yourself.
In our lives, we are blessed with many people. Family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, peers, mentors, roommates, and even strangers. Each person we meet has the ability to influence our lives for the good, or the bad. For the most part, families serve as one of the main sources of positive influence. Generally, boys are molded to men by their fathers. Girls mature through the nurturing of their mothers. The core of who we are, I believe, develops from how we are raised. Though we do make choices even within our young development, most of our adolescent character is somewhat controlled and it is when we reach adulthood that it becomes entirely and more controllably up to us. Here is where I think the problem lies. In the world today, too many of us rely on what we see in the media as a guide to who we should be. Please, if you understand nothing else I say, understand this, which I say with absolute emphasis:
These are only a few examples of the seemingly endless ranks of high profile people who contribute to the decline of civilized society. That may seem a harsh statement, but I do not feel in any way that I am unfair in my choice of words in saying that little to nothing these celebrities do will influence your life in a positive way. In fact, I believe that the only way in which any of them could benefit your life would be if you were to live your life exactly opposite how they do.
My purpose in stating my opinion on this today is not to bash celebrities. Late night television shows and the rest of the blogosphere takes care of that. My purpose today is to share with you my deeply held belief in the extreme importance of being yourself.
In our lives, we are blessed with many people. Family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, peers, mentors, roommates, and even strangers. Each person we meet has the ability to influence our lives for the good, or the bad. For the most part, families serve as one of the main sources of positive influence. Generally, boys are molded to men by their fathers. Girls mature through the nurturing of their mothers. The core of who we are, I believe, develops from how we are raised. Though we do make choices even within our young development, most of our adolescent character is somewhat controlled and it is when we reach adulthood that it becomes entirely and more controllably up to us. Here is where I think the problem lies. In the world today, too many of us rely on what we see in the media as a guide to who we should be. Please, if you understand nothing else I say, understand this, which I say with absolute emphasis:
YOUR APPEARANCE, YOUR CHARACTER, YOUR SELF WORTH, AND YOUR LIFE IS NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE DICTATED BY WHAT YOU SEE AND HEAR ON TV, IN MOVIES, AND IN OTHER MEDIA
If you spend your life trying to be like the perfect character in your favorite movie, you will waste your life chasing a fantasy.
The word skinny is NOT in the definition of beautiful.
Doing nothing but working on building muscle will cause you to miss out on opportunities in many areas in life, such as social interaction, and while they may look nice to you, over-sized biceps do little to support the emotional and mental challenges faced in life.
In real life, there are problems; solving them is crucial to being successful and happy. Whether it be in a relationship, in a job, in school, or in a random situation on the street, you will encounter differences and challenges. Do not avoid them. Do not be afraid of them. Be confident in yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Know that you are not perfect and in this life you were not meant to be. Your entire purpose is to make mistakes and to grow from them.
Use the examples of those you truly look up to as the inspiration for your direction, but do not try to be just like someone else. Adopt the traits you see in them you want in yourself, but, remember, you are your own person. Why would you try to be someone else when you have the opportunity to be you?
I beg all of you to rethink who you are. There are too many fakers, imitators, and unhappy people in the world today. There is no reason for you to be any one of these, especially unhappy.
Stop looking at the tv and look in the mirror.
You are already good enough. That simple fact will never change.
Be Yourself.
Post a Comment