Finding A Sense Of Belonging

By

For a long time I was the kid that always did the things that other people my age didn’t do. I listened to heavy metal, I grew my hair out, I didn’t party, I didn’t drink until I was 21, and the list goes on. I wasn’t a rebel; far from it. I just didn’t want to conform to what they saw as normal. I wanted to be different; I wanted to be unique.

The problem was, I was apparently too different. People looked at me oddly based on what metal band’s shirt I decided to wear that day. I was trying to create a certain image for myself and as a result, I became an outcast. I wanted people the think I was a “bad boy” when they saw me and then the exact opposite when they started talking to me. After a few years, I saw that I was making things worse for myself and I decided to stop the charades and move past the “bad boy” image I was going for.

The fact of the matter is that I had been wearing dark clothing for so long that I felt like it was starting to drag me down. I started to feel lonely and abandoned. Eventually I just couldn’t take it anymore and I packed away several of my band shirts. My new theory was that bright colors makes you a happier person. There is some truth behind that, but it’s really all about how you perceive the world around you. You can make things a positive if you believe they are a positive. You have the power to change how you feel at any given time. You don’t have to throw away what you believe because you changed the way you look.

There’s always more to the story than what people see. If you just be yourself you will be able to meet some interesting people. Some you’ll like, others you won’t. But at the end of the day, it truly is all about how you see things. If you’re feeling down, then do something to change that. It has nothing to do with how you dress or look and everything to do with where your mind is at any given time.