Stop trying to impress people

Many people change themselves so that other people like them. They are ready to change themselves, just for the sake of people's attention and validation. Why do they do that? 

The reason is the deep-rooted culture of 'normalcy'. Look this way. Dress this way. Behave this way. Have this 'normal' timeline in your life- education by 20, job by 22, marriage by 25, kids by 27 and then wait for your retirement and death. If someone behaves in another way (not any immoral or illegal), they are ridiculed, laughed at, trolled, made fun of, bullied and whatnot. 

Films are also responsible for this. In the movie 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', the Anjali (Kajol in real life) undergo a full transformation from a bold tomboy to shy typical women to get male attention and for males (more specifically Rahul) to marry her. Why is heroin made to go under such a transformation? It sets an example for the audience that its normal to ask someone to change or they can change themselves. 

People change their personality, their behaviour, their looks just to seek validation of others. If you cannot accept yourself the way you are, other people won't be able to accept you either. If you cannot love yourself for the person you are, how do you expect others to love you?

 Even if they 'like' and/or 'love' you, you would be possibly taken for granted, manipulated etc. You were born with a purpose, not to impress anyone or everyone. You are a person, not any entertainment source (even if you are from the entertainment industry, limit it only to your work but not to you as a person). You are not any clay to be moulded by anyone. Stop trying to impress people cause not everyone will like you. There will be haters, trollers, mockers who will hate you, mock you and even defame you no matter how good work you do or how good you are as a person. 

Accept the fact that you cannot impress everyone and conserve your energy (and invest it in the right things). You are not any chocolate that everyone will like you (well people have different choices within chocolate too). Do not pretend yourself to be someone else to impress people, as even after some point, the pretending would get tiresome. What if that person you impressed leaves you after knowing who you truly are? 

Agreed that you might try to impress your crush or so😅, but there is a limit to that too. No other person is above your self-respect. Some who wanna accept you and love you will accept, respect and love you for the person you are. You don't need to change yourself. Live the way you want to (unless it's not anything illegal, immoral or any crime) and let other people live their lives too. Stop pretending yourself to be someone else. Be selfish enough to have your self-respect protected (not referring to being egoist). You can have your own timeline in life. You can find work in your late teens to even 30s or 40s, find your romantic love in your 40s-60s, marry late in your life, may or may not have kids. Don't let the 'normal' stated by society affect your way of life, and do not interfere in others.

Be carefree of what people would say. You will have to have face trolls, hatred, mockings but you need to keep continuing with your work too. You can take positive criticisms, but do not take it too seriously either. Your facts define you, others opinions don't. Let them enjoy their judgements, you stay at peace with your truth. 

Live and let live. 

Image source: Viralsarcasm's Instagram handle