My #1 Rule

Embracing the fact that no one in the world is exactly the same is very important to me. As a result, my number one rule in life is to be myself, regardless of what others think. Applying this rule to a vast majority of my life, I have learned to influence myself and others around me to value being themselves.
Sometimes, being myself is a challenge but I know that it is easier to be myself than to pretend to be someone that I am not. At times, people might feel the need to change themselves in order to satisfy others as a way to fit in or avoid bullying and negative judgement. Although, not every person encountered in life will like the other individual for who they are but some will. For example, I, personally, have encountered many people who do not like me simply because of the way I talk. People often tell me that I do not speak as urban as expected. I even recall a time where I would speak more urban around certain individuals. Doing so, I eventually came to the realization that I was not being myself when I spoke that way. With this in mind, I chose to discontinue that action and found friends that liked me, regardless of my speech. That was when this rule became very valuable to me.

I now influence others around me to maintain their confidence and pride in themselves when it comes to the way they dress, speak, think, and more. Because of this, I greatly embrace diversity, as well as, a person genuinely being themselves.