Member-only story
It’s More Noble To Be Confident Than Embarrass Yourself By Pretending To Be Something You’re Not.
Break other people’s power over you.
When I was in 7th grade, there were a bunch of really pretty girls in my grade who I desperately wanted to impress.
The thing was, they liked a bunch of my friends, who were Filipino. I began studying these guys — what did they have that I didn’t? How could I be more like them, so the girls would like me?
Well my 7th grade pea brain did some simple logic:
- My Filipino friends didn’t have hairy legs — I did.
- Pretty girls liked my Filipino friends.
- Solution = shave my legs.
I remember being in the shower that night, scared to go through with it. But hey, pretty girls were on the line. So I took a deep breath, and shaved one long strip of hair off my shin.
Then I chickened out and wore pants for a few weeks until my bald leg patch grew back.
Your brain will only accept you pretending to be something else for so long until it’ll snap. It knows who you are — and what you’re not. The longer you try to hold the illusion, the more stress you’ll put on yourself.
