To Be or Not to Be

“Ain’t nobody gonna piss on you!” were the words of a man by the name of Ryp (Roy) Riley.

It means nothing other than, no matter what you do, as long as you keep being you no one will, harm, touch, or mess with who you are. Self-expression is a problem that teens and even adults struggle with. Whether from fear of friends' opinions, others' judgment, or simply not knowing where to start. The latter being a problem that must be solved.

The expression of one’s self can come from a few things, some being; a new style, new people, or experiencing something different. We are what we wear, but not limited to. To help try and find who you are, try new clothes, hair, or makeup styles. Wear something you always want to but are too scared to. Try adding new colors, or less. Instead of pants, try a skirt (or don't). Go out of your ordinary, trying out a new outer appearance can help finding your inner one, and remember be brave and be bold! Don’t fret though, if you are quite happy with your sense of style, then don’t do it, experiment in a different way in the journey of you.

We all have our “cliques,” our squads, whatever you call it, you have one. It consists of the people you trust most that have a similar mindset as you. As fun as it is to be surrounded by people that will always agree with you and have similar thoughts, it isolates you from new perspectives. A good way to finding who you are is knowing what's going on outside of your personal world. Try talking to new people, those who seem too different could be your greatest ally, as we know opposites attract. The new people can bring in new likes, inspirations, views, and experiences.

“Middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start.” - Arctic Monkeys

To have new experiences to life, whether it be going to rallies, concerts, hiking, clubs, classes, etc., these all bring in new adventures that will help shape who you are in life. To go on an adventure means to engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory. We all need adventures to shape ourselves, given they don’t always need to be hazardous. Life is an adventure, you yourself are exploring an unknown territory within yourself when you open yourself to new things. It can lead to a new passion; art, writing, film, theatre, etc. Anything your mind decides it loves can come from trying out an experience that you normally wouldn't do.

“Find what you love and let it kill you.” - Charles Bukowski

Everything you do in life shapes who you are, so go forth and adventure, shape who you want to be. Just remember not to lie about what you are into, try new things, but don't be someone you aren’t.

The right people will love your natural born gifts, those people are your friends. Just remember that there's a difference between rude judgment and advice, so listen carefully to those around you, the world isn’t against you, only you are against you. Be the best you that you can possibly be, don’t lie about who you are, know that really, no one is paying enough attention to judge you. Don’t knock something till you try it, and as long as you remember that you are unique, to be brave, passionate, and proud of who you are. If you remember this not only will you, hopefully, find out who you are inside, but no one in life will piss on you.