WHO AM I? Guest blog from a teen reader-- On NOT Letting Others Define Us

As promised here, I'm hosting a guest blog series called WHO AM I? and have invited teen writers to contribute. Up first, 16 year old Jane from Ohio. 

And a shout out to my artistic teen neighbor Courtney Berger for designing the awesome banner.

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Who I Am

By Jane Eskildsen, guest blogger

What defines a person?

I think a better question is who defines a person? So often we find ourselves caught in society letting others judge us for the things we do or don’t do. We let others define who we are, and we listen. As a high school student, I see this happen everyday. People wear the same clothes, do their hair the same way, and use the same slang. We let the bandwagon define us. And why? So that we can have that popular girl or boy like us? How crappy is that?

I feel like I’m allowing this invisible force to squash me into characteristics that I simply am not. I’m letting people who know absolutely zero about me judge and define my life. People set us up for a future that we don’t want to travel to. A future that doesn’t fit who I am. 

Who came up with this system? Who said that if you don’t live life a certain way, you are doing it wrong? There is no right or wrong answer to life or who you are or what you are living for. I think that’s where people like me get lost. 

I’ve taken the liberty of changing my post’s purpose from ‘Who am I?’ To ‘Who I am.’ 

For me there is no question. It is only a statement. There is no right or wrong. There is only me. I’m done molding myself for people who don’t give a damn. I am me and that is who I am.

For 16 years I have been the same person. I’ve learned and grown, and in 16 more years, I’ll still be me. I have no idea what the future truly holds for me. But those decisions are for me to make and me only. That’s who I will be. 

I’m confident, independent, outgoing, funny, tall, awkward, and loving. I have great family who love me and fantastic friends who care about me. My life is my own and could be short or long. But who really cares? I’ve got a life and I am living it.

That’s who I am. Who are you?