Create Your Own Adenture - Samantha McGehee

1) If you could relive any moment or day in your life what would you choose?
2) If you could change one thing about you, would you? What would it be?
3) Should others' opinions of you matter? Why or why not?

3. This is a question that I think everyone has struggled with at some point or another in life. And it seems to be one of those defining questions that we always ask ourselves throughout our life and the answer changes as we grow up. When I was younger, I used to think that the world revolved around what other people thought of me. I wanted to please everyone, and be friends with everyone and nothing tore me up more than other people not liking me. But when I got older, I realized the only person that had the right to judge me, was me. I was the only person who understood my struggles, and contemplations and my resulting actions. What other people could not see or understand made a difference in my choices. I began not to care what other people thought of the way I looked, or acted or who I associated with, I felt confident enough to make all these decisions on my own and not to look to others for confirmation. I also understood that while its important to be respectful and kind to everyone, that doesn't mean everyone will like you, or that you will in turn like everyone. That being said, when we only care about what we think of ourselves, we become very self-centered and sometimes blind to our own actions. Therefore, it is necessary that we look for the advice and criticism of those closest to us and that love us. The opinions that my family and best friends have of me and certain decisions or character flaws are very important to me because I know they love and want what is best for me and would not criticize me just to be cruel. They understand how I think and why I do the things I do and can see from an outside perspective that I can not. You should only use what other people think of you as a building tool to make you a better person, not to please everyone, because you can never please everyone and the only way to be happy is to be content with yourself.