With the new year comes a feeling of trying to better yourself, while also looking back at the past year. Well, I go little further back in time. Back into my young preteen/teenage years.
They are the years we all look back on and cringe. Our hair was bizarre, we said and did strange things and we wore super outlandish clothes, seriously what the heck were we wearing? We change so much in the years between 10 and 14, I know I have.
I was a weird kid who found myself on YouTube. I watched so many videos and looking back on it I wonder, how did I have that much time on my hands? From Danisnotonfire and Shane Dawson to Smosh and DeeFizzy, I spent a great deal of time watching videos. I also tried to become a Youtuber myself. They were the most cringe worthy videos. My voice sounded different, I had braces, my hair was so crazy and I tried way too hard.
I wanted to be like the Youtubers that I saw on my screen, funny and well-liked by people across America and the world. I looked to them for inspiration and for guidance. They may not have been the best role models but that did not matter to me. They were confident enough to put themselves out there and that is what I wanted for myself.
Music is a big influence on any generation of people. The music I listened to was strange. I do not even listen to the same genre of music I did back in sixth and seventh grade. I tried to fit in so much that I listened to what everyone else was listening to. I was listening to songs like ”Love Like Woe” by The Ready Set and Owl City because those were the cool things to listen to. Remember Ke$ha? Yeah she was on the list too.
Most of the friends I had as a young kid, for the most part are not even friends anymore. We either drifted apart or they moved away but that is okay. They have still taught me so much about myself and life. You do not have to change yourself for people to like you. The point of having friends in your life is that they help you and accept you for who you are.
Middle school is such a difficult time and it is not just because of the academics. It is hard because everyone is trying to figure out where they fit in in the world. I know that for me I tried a great deal to try and find my place. But looking back at those moments I have grown so much into the person I am today.
As my senior year starts kicking up speed and everything I know to be true today starts having an end, I know that my young teenage years have helped shape me to be the person I am today, braces and all.
Accept who you were when you were young. All those things you used to love when you were little are still a part of you. Find yourself in the things that have changed and the things that have stayed the same. We were all weird, so embrace your past and realize that your childhood has impacted greatly impacted your future.
