In college, I’m surrounded by people 24/7. We all are. It gets overwhelming, but somehow we all learn to manage it. Everyone always falls into the trap of caring what everyone around them says or what they are going to think. We’ll, this is what I say… WHO CARES WHAT THEY SAY!!!
What could they possibly say about you that will stop you from simply being yourself? The answer should be nothing. It’s not always easy to think that way, though. It takes confidence to simply be yourself, and it’s something that I work towards every day.
Say what you want. So many people hold back from saying things because they’re afraid to start issues or to hurt someones feelings… or they’re simply afraid to speak up. JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY! If you feel a certain way about something, express that. If people look at you a different way, let them. You are simply being yourself. If you walk away from a situation wishing you had said something that you didn’t, it’s time to figure out why. I am proud to say that recently, I haven’t walked away from a situation where I felt that I didn’t allow my voice to be heard. I have been placed in a variety of positions at Western New England and they have all built me to be confident in my voice. When I know someone has something important to say and they don’t say it because they’re simply afraid, I’ll jump in and say something. It’s just the way that I am.
I rolled my eyes 800 times this week at how power hungry people are. People are so power hungry, and ‘gold name tag’ hungry. I’ve learned that getting caught up in the titles is such a waste. Get caught up in the experience instead.
Wear what you want. If it’s in style, cool. If it’s not, I don’t want to hear the negative comments. I don’t care about them! The amount of times people have rudely said, “interesting shoes” or “those pants are different,” or something along the lines of that….infinite. But, that doesn’t stop me from wearing them! Because guess what– You will stumble across people that will say “OMG I love that outfit” or “wow those pants are amazing where did you get them,” and not in the (mean girls reference) voice. They genuinely mean it. Those are the people you want to value and keep close. Not because they’re complimenting you, but because they do not purposely attack you for simply being yourself, but they support and admire who you are as an individual.
Do what you want and don’t feel sorry about it. I am living proof that will tell you it is okay to hit that nice red X on Instagram and Twitter when people try to follow you. People act like it is a sin if you do. Last week I had multiple people add me on social media that I would recognize if I walked by them, but they’ve never talked to me in my life. I don’t let them follow me!!!! Sure I get called a bitch, or rude… but really, I don’t find myself to be either. By allowing them to follow me, they literally are following me! They see my every post, see what makes me happy, sad, excited, and so on. So I know it’s not the most serious thing in the world, but to me all of that matters. If you want to know me, and be able to see what I’m up to, you have to actually know me. I’ve always felt that way and I have always been true to sticking to my ways.
Here’s my theory: (1) If I walk past you and you don’t say hi to me, there’s no need for you to follow me on social media. I’m not going to be one more person for you to screen shots my posts, and send them in your group texts. (2) Do me wrong, and I’ll have no problem instantly deleting you from my social media. People may say, it’s just social media, but people check their social sites every second of the day. There isn’t time to let people that are not building me up to see what I’m up to. It’s not childish, or immature. It’s the hard truth. (3) I don’t use social media as a negative tool, I use it to boost myself up and those around me. I’ll post a million Instagram pictures a day if I want. I’ll comment on your pictures. I’ll be obnoxious and stalk your page and like the pictures I may have missed. Social media was meant to be a positive resource, let’s keep it that way.
Danielle Chylinski 