(Completely unrelated note: I tried 72% dark chocolate for the first time this month and WOW. I was definitely not expecting how bitter it would be. I liked it, but I’m sticking to Hershey’s Special Dark now, thank you.)

———end of irrelevant tangent———

However, I’m not here to talk about dark chocolate, as fun as that may be. (Sorry, guys.) Instead, I’m coming at you with a slightly more serious post. So, as always, prepare for potentially incoherent ramblings.

I get it. We all get it. It’s really, really hard to “be ourselves” in society. Our culture keeps pulling us in different directions, to write what they want us to write, to do what they want us to do, to be who they want us to be. 

How many times have we actually changed ourselves because we wanted to “fit in”? To say that we belong in this world? To be accepted in a world that might never accept us for who we really are? 

I gotta say, that’s really, really depressing to think that people might not like us for being ourselves. (But seriously, no one can be liked by everyone. That would be really nice, but I’m not sure how to do that. If someone knows, please inform me and we can rule the galaxy together.)  p

But first - what do I mean by “being ourselves”?

I feel like in this day and age, the phrase being ourselves is being warped. It seems like people use this as an excuse to do whatever the heck they want, and then call it “part of their personality.”

What????

Sorry. That just makes no sense to me.

For the record here, I’m not talking about mental illness. I’m talking about this.

"Oh, yeah, the two of us just can’t get along. Our personalities just clash, and there’s nothing I can do to get along with him. So I’m just not going to like him. It’s embedded in my genetic code."

Um . . . does anyone else see a problem here?

So (because I feel like some clarification is in order) I’m not going to use that phrase. Instead, I will use the word authentic.

Authentic is a beautiful word. Here’s how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it:


I’m not going to be using that definition. Here’s how I define authentic: because you all want to know my opinion on things 


Because isn’t the whole point of life to get to Heaven? God created you specifically for that reason: to know His love and share it with the world, and then, one day, see Him in Heaven.
So what does this have to do with “being ourselves”?

(Here it is, guys, the big build-up has led to this)

Don’t let the world define who you are. Let God define who you are. The world doesn’t know you. It didn’t create you.

Now, God knows who you were created to be. He knows all your strengths and your flaws, your passions and your dislikes, your worries and your joys.

Being authentic is more than “being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” It’s about being the holiest person you can be. It’s about being a God-honoring, God-loving, God-fearing person in day-to-day life.

And yes, it’s about getting to know your personality. But I feel like if you don’t know God, you’re missing a crucial piece of your identity.

So what if you’re not popular? So what if you’re going against the crowd? So what if people don’t like you for following God and being authentic? If you are truly striving to live a God-honoring life, then these people shouldn’t really bother you.

Come on, you really think I was going to let this opportunity pass me by?

(Besides, God never promised to make your life better after you begin to follow Him. In fact, His Mother told St. Bernadette, “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but the next.”)
So, now I’m getting into the title of this post.

Am I an authentic person? Is this blog reflecting who I am as a person, and is it reflecting God?

I don’t claim to have a perfect relationship with God or have everything figured out in life. (Ha ha. Ha. Ha. That would be amazing.) But I am trying to think about who God wants me to be as a person.

As a result, there might be a couple slight modifications to this blog. *clears throat* These include:

1. Me not dropping off the face of the blogosphere. Sorry, guys, that’s not happening for a while. You’re stuck with me for now. *cackle* 
2. Changing the title graphic. The name will stay the same (for now, anyways) but I thought of a better motto, and, unfortunately, that means changing the whole thing. 
3. Me trying my very hardest not to completely redo my blog look.
4. Me epically failing on not completely redoing my blog look.
5. The voice of my posts might change??? Honestly, I’m not sure yet about this. But if my posts start sounding different, it’s still me, Nicole! I haven’t been kidnapped and taken into another dimension! 
6. Me rewriting my About page for about the six millionth time.