Be Yourself

Is it possible to be so in the habit of getting out of other people's way, that we loose our own?  Constantly we're dumbing down and readjusting our "attitude"and going with the status quo so that we eventually become only a watered down version of our true (amazing) selves.  Case in point: a kid at school gets some new shoes.  He/she has been needing these shoes for a while, and besides being functional, they are super cool.  He/she feels awesome...that is until people fill up their invisible 'suggestion box'.  "I bet those were the only ones your mom could afford."  "Those shoes make you walk funny."  "I seen a gazillion kids with those shoes."  "I thought those shoes were for babies.", etc., etc., etc.  By the end of the week, the kid is back in his/her old rutty shoes.  Why?  Because either their peers, the negative voice inside them or both made them believe that they didn't deserve to be awesome, and that's wrong.  By what authority do the negatives have the right to condemn anyone?  We do indeed deserve to be awesome.  Not so awesome that we put others down in order to make ourselves look more awesome.  But every breathing, conscience and free will posessing being does deserve to have a positive and balanced self image.  And making another person(s) feel comfortable by drowning ourselves is diametrically opposed to that balance.  So recognize the right to shake off the haters (inside and outside) and get on with the business of boldly living a righteous life.