A whole new world.

I gain the ability to not have to fake anything. What you see is what you get with me. I don't fake anything because I've had people do that to me and I absolutely detest it. I don't like superficial people as well as people who judge someone before they get to know them. All of these traits are ones that I do not like & are not part of my personality. I'm not into faking that I am one of those types of people either. I would like to believe that I am honest, trustworthy, compassionate and loving & these are some of the traits that I try to show as often as possible. I feel more like myself when I'm around people I care about & that care about me as well. I feel that when I can let go and be myself around someone, that person is truly special to me because I don't do that to just anyone. I hope that when I let go & be myself around someone who is special to me, that these people who are special to me can see that I truly value them as part of my life. I like to believe I don't fake anything when someone meets me. I hope that they get the feeling that I am being myself even though I may not let them see everything. Once I get to know them and I feel comfortable around them, I'll let them in a little more every day. It's like life with my other half. Before we first met, we had talked constantly for almost two years. When we did meet for the first time there were the initial jitters and butterflies but things soon calmed down and I began to feel comfortable around him. I started to show him who I was and what I stood for not too mention what my beliefs were. These were all through discussions we had with each other. I never really had the ability to be myself around a lot of people because I always thought they were out to get something from me or their intentions were not good ones. I believed I had to protect myself from people that I felt had bad intentions so they didn't really get to know the true me. This was most likely the only time I ever had to be fake, but I'd like to think that I wasn't being fake, I was being cautious. What I believe I gain by being myself is respect & self knowledge. I think that I respect myself & so do others when they see that I can be myself and not have to hide behind anything. It makes me feel good to know that I know so much about myself. I've made mistakes & I've had to learn from them, but in the end they were worth making because they resulted in me learning so much about myself. There are other things I've gained by being myself as well. I think because I'm honest with people they are able to put a certain amount of trust & faith in me. I find honesty & trust go hand in hand. I've always believed that sooner or later either faking yourself or being true about who you are will come back to you later on in life. It's kind of like karma I guess. You'll either be found out as one of those good people or as one of those bad people that no one wants to associate with. So, in conclusion, I think you gain a lot when you are able to be yourself. People see you for who you truly are and that's something to treasure because not everyone gets to that point. I personally don't let just anyone get close to me until I feel comfortable around them. That's when they get to see who I really am....and that's when I get to be myself. Thanks for allowing me to share! xx

By being myself I gain self respect. People who try to put on a false face to the world are just shallow people who can not be trusted. People who can not be trusted are not sake to be around. Such shallow people will lie to you and about you.

by being my self i get true friends that love me the way i am and feel me as a true person not a fake something .

It's a lot harder to pretend to be something that you aren't than to just be yourself. As far as trying to fit in, ask yourself where the 'cool people' are going to be in ten years. I would rather have friends that accept me for who I am than to have to try to be someone that is more socially acceptable. I listen to the music I like, wear gym clothes everywhere and don't buy into 'the trends'. If someone has a problem with me, what I listen to or what I am into then THEY are the ones with a problem, not me.

i gain peace. by being myself, i learn not to worry about what other people think about me becuase i realize that like it or not, that's me and that i can't please everybody. at the same time, i learn to appreciate myself more and in turn share more of myself to the people i trust and love.

being myself definately make me feel comfertable...honestly there are times when i feel like maybe i should do this then a particular [erson would like me and then i think y m i bothering with who thinks what about me??? one should be themselves instead of trying to be somehting else to gain acceptance...if people dont accept you as you are then i belive there is somehtng wrong with the people...and not you...

i havent gain anything for being myself but i dont care if you dont like step off

By being myself, I gain peace. I don't have to pretend or lie about anything I am. That way I can do what I normally do, and not be afraid I can't keep up the facade. And 'real' people are refreshing, and very enjoyable to hang around with. : )

I gain a sense of peace by being myself. I don't have to pretend, or keep up a lie I present to other people. I know that whatever I do, if it is the real me, I have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. : )

I'm not exactly sure what I would gain for being myself, because I seldom give myself the opportunity to be real. It's kind of sad now that I think about. I'm afraid of what others would think of me, if I were being just me.