You'll always be good enough for those people who deserve you.
It's a certainty that you will come across people who have something to complain about. You're too quiet or too loud, too clean or too messy, too skinny or too fat, too lazy or too ambitious. It's nearly impossible to meet some individuals' exacting standards.
But who says we have to meet such standards to begin with?
The right people -- those who accept you for who you are -- will never press you to change. They'll appreciate you whether or not you drink, whether you gravitate toward books or sports, or whether you're bold or docile. (Of course, if you're engaging in dangerous behaviors -- like abusing alcohol or drugs -- they have every reason to goad you to change in that regard.)
The right people will acknowledge whatever it is that makes you unique -- whether it's your passion for learning, quirky sense of humor, or superb fashion sense -- even if they may not share that quality. And just because they don't agree with you on something -- your religious views, your thoughts on gun control, and so forth -- doesn't mean they would ever ask you to change.
If someone doesn't find you cool enough, guess what? Someone else will.
If someone doesn't find you attractive enough, guess what? Someone else will.
If someone doesn't find you smart enough, guess what? Someone else will.
It's not as if we need to impress anyone in the first place. Remember, all that counts is that you love yourself, for true happiness lies within you and should never be contingent upon someone else's opinion/validation.
People are a social bunch. We all desire to be liked and appreciated on a basic human level.
Still, that doesn't mean we should aim to be liked by everyone. It will never happen, no matter how hard we try, because there's no possible way we can morph into whatever others want us to be. And like I said earlier, we shouldn't even entertain the idea because happiness means being true to yourself.
Never should we allow others to think, feel, or act for us.
One thing is for people to make well-meaning recommendations or provide constructive criticism, and another is to insist that we adopt their opinions and attitudes -- or else. Those who give us such an ultimatum are surely not worth our time!
When someone tries to make you feel bad for not thinking or acting like them, remember one thing: There's only one of you in the world. It's always better to be an original rather than a clone, even if it means losing relationships in the process. The people deserving of your time and attention will never prod you to change because they see the real you as enhancing their lives.
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