Society has some unwritten rules that nobody likes to admit they follow, but many secretly believe they must. It can lead to many people feeling unhappy, unsatisfied, insecure and out of place. However, sometimes what we see and think in this society is not the truth. It takes a lot of courage to disregard the external rules and have faith in yourself. Here are a list of reasons why these societal rules are not true. 

1. You must be thin to feel confident in your body 

It can be hard to love our bodies, especially when we see supermodels or celebrities showing off in photo shoots. However, many pictures of models are photoshopped and not real. There are plenty of plus size models who can show how proud and confident they are in their bodies. It doesn’t matter what shape or size you are. You have every right to love the body that you are in and to know that you are beautiful just the way you are. 

2. It’s cool not to care 

The whole idea of it being “cool not to care” has been hitting a lot of people. We are afraid to feel vulnerable, so we shut down, pretending we don’t care even if we really do in fear of rejection or losing something. But the thing is, it is cool to care, and we need to care. If you show that you love someone or that you care what happens, you can be changing a lot of people’s lives. Showing empathy and kindness is so much more than cool, it’s uplifting.  

3. You have to go to college and get good grades to be considered smart 

There have been too many times that people are forced to do something or have been put down simply because they aren’t doing well in school. We all are intelligent, although that intelligence may be spread into different areas. If you keep trying and never give up, you are much more than just smart, you are brave. A “D” on a test does not prove that you don’t have the abilities to thrive academically.  So many people with low grades have done amazing things, making our world a better place. 

4. You must know what you want in life 

We all want to make our own impact on the world or do something that we love that can satisfy ourselves. But not everyone knows exactly how they want to do that, and that’s okay. You don’t have to know what you want to be yet if you have no idea. As life passes and you take some opportunities, you will eventually find yourself in the place you are meant to be. Just be confident in yourself that you will find the field you want to be in. 

5. There is something wrong with you if you are different 

If someone is different, we would much rather attack them instead of understanding them. However, we all are different, and we each need to express ourselves in our own way. Being ourselves is the best thing we can be in a world filled with billions of people. You’ll realize that someone just needed someone like you in their life, including all of your uniqueness.  

6. You are not worth it, there will always be someone better than you 

We are taught there is always someone smarter, prettier or better than us. But that is not true, nobody can ever be your kind of smart, your kind of pretty or just you. You are worth it and do have an impact on the world. We are taught to just blend in, but we are so much more. The only way we can see that is to forget about what society thinks and to be ourselves. We should love ourselves instead of waiting for society to acknowledge our worth. Only then can we feel whole.

7. You have to be popular to be worthy 

We can’t control who likes us or doesn’t like us. But just because someone is more popular than you doesn’t mean that they are living a happier life. We all are making someone happy without necessarily knowing it. That being said, never do something that makes you uncomfortable just to make people happy. Being real and genuine is much more appreciable than everybody liking you. People have their own insecurities, so depending on others for your worth can be risky. The right people will stay no matter what.