Day Two... Stop Trying To Be Someone You're Not

In today's society, it's hard to turn on TV and not be bombarded with advertisements of skinny models, flashy jewelry, sexy clothing, and lifestyles that make most sane people wonder what on earth is going into the food these days. Without knowing, sometimes we may find ourselves comparing the people we are to the images we see on TV, in movies and in music videos.

Growing up, I never quite fit in. I was too black for the white girls and too white for the black girls. I didn't grow up poor, but we were far from rich. Sometimes I tried to speak like Marsha Brady and, other times, you'd think I was related to Shenaenae. I tried to be like everyone else, but I wasn't. It hit me that all the time and effort I spent trying to fit in with what was supposed to be cool and in style was a waste because all I could ever be is just me. I had to learn to be me even when I didn't quite fit the definition of normal or acceptable or beautiful. At times, it was difficult to embrace my unique personality, but I found ME on my own terms and fell in love with myself.

Me... I'm kind of quirky. My best friend said it best when she told me I'm like sushi. Not everyone loves me, but I'm a hit everywhere I go. I'm the life of the party, but I'm always classy, calm and well put together. I read books all night long when other people my age are going out on the town. When I can't sleep at night, I wake up to bake cookies. When I'm sad, sometimes I cry. When I'm happy, I still cry sometimes. I'm passionate, sarcastic, intelligent and driven. And, as if you don't know I'm going to say this, I'm a DIVA!

One of the greatest disservices we can do is to not love ourselves for who we are. Yet, one of the most difficult things to do is to just be yourself. To try to be someone else is simply a waste of time. Ultimately, you'll always feel most happy and comfortable being you in your own skin, whatever that means to be. I realized that I didn't want to be ordinary. I didn't want to be like everyone else. I didn't want to be average. You can look around and see what ordinary gets you. I learned fairly quickly that I wanted to be extraordinary. And, to stand out from the crowd, it was best to just be ME!

So, today, take a vow to stop trying to be someone that you aren't. Take a vow to love yourself for the good, the bad, the ugly... and the DIVA that you are!