Everybody should have a sense of self. You know, something that is unique to them. It really doesn't matter what it is, but it is something you should never change for someone else. Until I was Twenty-One, I didn't know the difference between ESP and ESPN, until I started dating Chad who loved sports. He would even have me turn on ESPN to keep track of the basketball games when he was on his way over to my house. This is where my love of sports comes from now. Not to say I don't love it for the pure sport of the game, but before Chad I wouldn't have dreamed of watching a game. And I wasn't a girl who would ever have thought of listening to Tori Amos before I started hanging out with Meredith. I was the girl who was content with listening to New Kids on The Block and Mariah Carey.
Ok, the point is that we shouldn't have to give up or change who we are just to impress someone else. We should be able to be who we are, and the people who don't accept us for who we are, well screw em'. The way I see it is that every time you give up something for someone else, you lose a part of yourself. And that's a part of yourself you'll never get back. So, make sure that if you're going to lose a part of yourself that you're doing it for a good reason and thirty years from now you can look back and say, "I'm ok with that."
But in saying that, also remember, that you have to have something that is just yours no matter where you are in life. You can't give up everything that you hold dear for your family, friends, or spouse. If you do, you'll soon start feeling trapped and you'll look for a way out. You can give OF yourself without giving UP yourself. And if the people around you can't handle that, then what do I say? SCREW EM'.
