I Want You To Want Me: The Need To Be Accepted

Trying to be more like her.

My youngest daughter is what the old folks would have called a “Natural-Born-Leader,” and yet when she was a teenager, struggling to find herself, she had the nickname Tofu, because she took on the flavor of whatever she was next to.

If one of her friends was into heavy metal music, she was into it too. If they liked techno; she did. One day, I came home to a country vampire with a slightly German accent.

In her desire to be accepted by her friends, she took on the flavor, and spice of their life.

Fortunately, my daughter is now her own amazing version of herself, but many adults continue in what I call Tofu behavior.

When you don’t know who you are, you will reflect, become and desire the mood of whatever room you are in.

This is problematic on many levels, but for time and energy sake, I’ll focus on two.

Trying to be someone else takes more energy than lifting heavy weights and running with them.

Not being your authentic self, robs your community and the world of what it truly needs from you.

Ask yourself the following:

Are you truly being you?

Whose life have you plagiarized?

What unique aspect of you does the world need from you today?

Be you, be wonderful, be YOU.

Bertice Berry, PhD.