There are those of us who go on through life with little care about much. Some show little desire to change the way they look, the way they speak, the way they move. These people, well, they dress the way they feel like dressing and they accept who they are.

Then there are those of us who obsess over the way we look. Our hair has to be perfect, the face has to be flawless, the clothes have to match and it doesn’t look like we just got out of bed.

Of course, somewhere in the middle stand those of us who care what we look like, but don’t obsess. How can looks mean everything? We have to presentable, but not perfect since there’s no such thing as perfection… right?

So which one is the right way to live? That question cannot be easily answered… at all.

Society says that to fit in, we have to look right. Almost like a high school, the world has its cliques where people gather. The business-men are friends, the CEO’s are friends, the construction workers are friends; scientists convene and talk over what they are working on, while mathematicians chat amongst themselves. I am in no way stating that these groups don’t mix, but they just tend to form.

Anyway, moving on… what teenage girl doesn’t have a favorite movie actress or singer(no, I’m not a teenage girl…)? The answer is not many. Some girls will try to change the clothes they wear, the way they style their makeup, or other simple things about themselves. Most of these changes tend to be harmless, but some can actually turn sour.

Once a person starts to change things about themselves that money can’t buy, he or she starts to have problems related to these changes. For example, the group of friends may change, and this new group of friends may do things differently such as smoke or drink. Being the one who just wants to fit in, the one who just wants to be like the ones she/he idolizes, this person will start to adapt. The true image of the person is being lost in the process.

The time then comes when that person is forced into a new situation, one requiring that person to be him/herself– now what?

That person is long gone, lost to a fake guise.

It may seem like a cool thing to do, to change yourself, to be like the person next to you, and to some degree it can be. However, be warned: when you try to find yourself, where will you look?

Be yourself, I know, cliche, but the reason it is cliche is because it’s true. Trying to be someone else is lying to yourself; you are who you are and someone will love you for it. If you change, then that person is left searching for another.