Individuals take pride in being who he/she is without pretending anything. He/she does what they think is right, regardless of what everyone might think or feel; going on with their lives and not letting people drag you down or push you back. Having the guts to stand up for your beliefs and actions even though you know nobody will be there to lend you a helping hand. It’s like being rebellious, but someone who does the correct thing.
To become an individualist, you have to recognize yourself first. Not all people in this world are alike. Everyone is born with individuality. We acknowledge our individualism when we get older. We find out our aim in life, what we want to become, or how much potential we have to achieve something. If you observe yourself and think that you shouldn’t be here, or among these people, or in this environment, you’re not true to yourself. If you just think about whether or what you have to be acting like in a state or why you are even present in that particular position, that is not individualism; it means you are just following the crowd.
When I look back at my life decisions, many moments pop up in my mind where I was an individualist. There are also some situations where I just went with the flow and pretended that I was not. Life comes with its ups and downs, which teach us a lot of valuable aspects. We meet people with different mindsets and schools of thought, and how they treat us significantly impacts our personalities.
In college, I wanted fewer friends who were loyal enough to be with me. But there came a little twist where I found myself chatting and laughing, and hanging out with a group of six girls. Deep inside my heart, I knew this was soon going to break. With time, I noticed that the people I’m calling my ‘friends’ are making fun of me and my every little action or anything I believe in.
Due to my humble nature and also because I was a little afraid of taking a stand for my self-respect, I always remained quiet. I convinced myself upon the fact that come on; these people are your friends and friends are supposed to say stuff like that for the sake of fun and having a good time laughing.
My attitude towards this made them think that whatever they say doesn’t severely impact my sentiments. This pointing of fingers towards me was also done in public due to the expectation they developed that I would never say anything to them in a harsh way but just become a barrel of laughs instead.
This course of events made me highly emotional. Not speaking up for myself and being unable to share my feelings with anyone made me aggressive at home. My behavior at home changed negatively; getting angry at small things, and talking rudely to all family members.
I wanted to change my situation as I knew drastic times call for drastic measures. To achieve something big, some serious action has to be taken. So, one day, instead of sitting on the fence, I let my heart out to the people responsible for all this. Maybe I shouldn’t be saying that they were responsible for my condition, I am the one to be blamed for letting everyone speak ill or make fun of me. After that day of speaking up for my integrity, everything changed. I learned who my friends were and who were there just having their good time, who understood my situation, and who didn’t even bother.
It may be of little importance to other people, but for me, it was a life-changing moment. I understood how and when to show other people their limits so they could not say or do anything against my respect. Having fun and laughing at jokes is one thing, but making others feel belittled and of no use is an entirely different thing. You lose your confidence with every passing day. And that’s what occurred to me. My self-confidence shattered.
But yes, in such situations, only you can change your life by stepping forward and speaking up. Otherwise, people around you get used to your attitude and expect the same every time. You conform to their expectations and demands, and as a result, lose your dignity and confidence.
Being confident in who you are is a big part of individuality. You should do something which you think is right, no matter what anyone thinks. If you have faith in yourself, other people will start believing in you too. Knowing that you accomplished everything and overcame the sufferings that life throws at you depicts your individuality.
In the end, everyone will see the beauty in someone who overpowers everything life has thrown at them. Everyone around you will apprehend that the person was not a dupe regardless of what they went through or put themselves through. Only you have the power to make people bring you down by letting yourself sink as low as everyone else who has tried in the past but has not succeeded because of the individual inside you.
Works Cited
Naturally_Talented, Bogota NJ. “Being An Individual.” Teen Ink, www.teenink.com/hot_topics/what_matters/article/466125/Being-An-Individual/.
