by Olivia Carpenter
No matter how hard you try, you just can't make everybody happy. Even when you follow
the "Golden Rule" (treat others the way you want to be treated), not everybody is going to
be happy. But, if you're happy yourself, its easier for others around you to be happy.
When I was in 4th grade, all I wanted was to fit in with the "popular girls" at school. For
three years, I put up a false front; a fake version of myself. I threw parties. I went to picnics.
I bought the style of clothes and shoes they wore. I played the sports they played, and I did
everything they did. I was miserable.
I know what you're thinking: Didn't you get exactly what you wanted? From an outside
perspective, I did. But, from myself, I was unsatisfied. I got what I thought I wanted, not
what I wanted in my heart. In a way, I was "popular", but not in the right way. People knew
of me, but they didn't actually know me.
This went on for three years. The whole time, I knew something was missing, but I didn't know
what. Everyone else seemed happy, I seemed happy, but deep down, I wasn't. I was holding
on to those friendships, thinking my happiness depended on them. After I realized we were
heading down different paths, I let them go down their paths and I went down mine.
That day was when things finally started looking up. After three years, I was happy with
myself. I decided it was time to be me, to let people know the real me. Shortly after that, I
decided I was going to try out for cheering. I made it. For three years I kept it a secret that I
took tumbling & cheerleading instead of basketball & softball. It took a while, but in the end,
they were happy for me because I was happy. I didn't take a different path because of them,
I took a different path because of me. And I'm very glad I did. I'm a lot more successful now
than I would've been if I had stayed that unhappy version of me.
If Esther hadn't revealed her true identity; if she hadn't let the world know her instead of
knowing of her, her whole purpose would've been irrelevant. Esther waited until the time was
right, then let everyone know who she really was, instead of a fake front she could have
shown them.
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photo courtesy of Barta IV via Flickr | License