For all we know, we only have one life to live.
One life to make all of our dreams come true, travel the world and leave no regrets.
Only one life to spend time with the ones you love, do what you want, be who you are.
So why is it that we’re all stuck?
Stuck in these walls of society
Why is it that every time we aspire to be who we are, stand out from the crowd, be a little weird or different; that we can’t.
And why is it that these twisted thoughts are filling our minds about who we “should be” or who we should “want to be?”
When was it decided that being you isn’t always okay?
Our world is full of cookie cutter “perfection”
Full of fake people wandering the streets like robots
Walking around in the same clothes, having the same style, same personality, same ambitions, same dreams… Originality is gone.
What happened to following your dreams?
I’ll tell you what might have happened,
Someone that you once looked up to, an adult in your life told you that the world wasn’t your own playground
And they told you exactly what you have to be like to fit in
And in those seconds, they lit your dreams on fire and made you watch them burn to the ground.
And that one person that you trusted so much flipped the switch that made you into another robot
Just like everyone else
Another cookie cutter
Another cardboard cut out
Just those words changed you into the person you once promised yourself you’d never become.
But I dare to disagree on being “perfect”.
I dare to disagree on society’s creation of what girls and guys should be.
I dare to disagree that being different is bad.
Be true to you; stand out.
Where your rain boots in the sun, dance around and sing as you go.
Because we’ve all created this vision of who we need to be
Even if it doesn’t make us happy
A world where young people walk around school hallways hurting each other
Hurting themselves to fit into the standards of others
Hating everything about them that makes them beautiful.
Makes them special
Wanting to change more than anything
Because, every now and again society flips a switch and the rules change
And you’re never good enough.
From trial and error over and over again most of us have figured out that it’s physically impossible to be perfect.
And why should we ever try to be?
I dare to disagree that you’re not perfect.
Actually, I’m not going to just dare to disagree, I refuse to say that each one of us isn’t perfect in our own way.
Each dorky laugh and snort
Every smile and giggle
And if you ever need motivation that it’s okay to be yourself
Go back to preschool and read Dr. Seuss
Because for most of us
since you were old enough to imagine
He was there telling us that it’s okay to be special and quirky
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
Fill the pages, and
“Today you are you, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive that is youer than you!”
So go out in different coloured socks
Smile a bit
But also think,
It’s not just you
It’s not just you at all
Almost everyone is trying to fit in and find ways to be himself or herself
And be happy
So open up your mind
Accept people for who they are
“We have to dare to be ourselves,
However frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”
Don’t listen to mom, dad, teacher, coach, friends about how to live your life
Because that’s the thing
It’s YOUR life
And as a wise poet once said
“Be who you are and say what you feel
Because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”