just for fun

• Respect others as much as you respect yourself. While being yourself means expressing yourself and your opinions, dreams, and preferences, it certainly doesn't mean ramming these down other people's throats! Everyone has needs, dreams, and wants that are equally deserving and it's up to each one of us to acknowledge the other's value as much as our own. Therefore, avoid being rude, thoughtless, or egotistical in your journey to being yourself.
• Fads and trends are a personal decision. While some people avoid them like the plague in the name of "individualism", others recognize them for what they are - groupspeak for fun and sharing in a particular period of time. Whether or not you choose to follow trends and participate in fads is entirely up to you; it doesn't mean you're not being yourself when you've made the choice for yourself to do so.
• Be bold. As the famous song says: "Life's not worth a damn, until you can say 'I am what I am'!" and your sincerity at uttering such words is paramount in boldly proclaiming that you rock.
• It can be hard to show your true interests at times, when others don't care or mock them, but stand tall and simply expect others to at the very least, respect your choices. Having an air of authority and friendly expectation will do more than acting grievously wounded or angry when others disrespect your personal preferences. Remember, humor is far more likely to disarm and charm than irritability and a foaming mouth.
• Balance bad habits and rein them in. Addiction to drugs, alcohol, internet, gaming, whatever, is disrespectful to the self and ultimately hurts the self more than any others. Find self-calming techniques in more constructive ways, such as meditation, relaxation, writing, music, sport, being active, cooking up a storm, etc.
• While some may call you names and speak ill of your choices to be your weird, goofy self, most will respect your courage and certainty of self. And it is not a beauty parade where you're seeking votes of approval anyway. Others like friends in their lives who live tall, proud, and differently because it gives them the strength to show themselves in the same light.
• Work on the things that you dislike about yourself instead of seeing them as stumbling blocks to being a whole person. A too-large butt, a pimply face, a poor ability at math, a hatred of foreigners, alienating others with your anger, etc. – these are all things you can make a decision to fix or change, and the sooner, the better! Improve your self-esteem and your future by constantly working on the things you're less than pleased about yourself and finding solutions that stick.
• Change is a constant. So changing who you are over time is inevitable, and is always likely to be a good thing if you've been stayed informed, relevant, and clued in to the world around you and have allowed your personal development to be a top priority in your life.
• Set an example for others instead of criticizing them. You don't like what you see? Show them how to be better by being living proof of your own preferred way.
• It might help you to see that everyone is showing you a mirror of yourself. In this way, what reflects back at you is 90 percent what you're giving out. And you have 100 percent responsibility for yourself and your own actions!
• A Buddhist tale tells of the importance of facing things we'd rather not at times: Three monks went toward a gate. The first monk went up to it but a snarling dog was there. He shook with fear and ran but the dog ran after him and ate him. The second monk went to the gate and also ran away but the dog caught up with him and gobbled him up. The third monk approached the gate and sized up the dog quickly. He gave the dog no time to bark but charged at him yelling fiercely. The dog whimpered, placed its tail between its legs and ran like mad away from the monk. The moral of the tale is to face your fears before they eat you up. Being yourself includes facing your fears and not letting them get the better of you, for as soon as you let fear run your life, you start marching to other people's tunes, often tunes aimed at making you subservient, obedient, and in conformity with their preferences.