Courage Vs. Individuality

One of the aspects of having gone to school with the same people my entire life that I have come to value the most is that I have had the opportunity to watch those around me grow from “fellow classmates who are all pretty similar except that some are nicer than others”, into exceptional individuals, who now differ greatly in their personalities and interests. Everybody has undeniably grown up, but it is observable that some people know themselves or are more comfortable with who they are than others, and that is the aspect of growing up that I believe takes courage.
The concept of individuality is often more admired than individuality itself. In our society, the message “Be yourself” is widely transmitted, even through one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes: “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you”. Yet we frequently criticize and shame all unconventional individuality. It’s a lot harder to “be yourself” than Dr. Seuss makes it seem to be.
It takes both effort and courage to branch out and discover yourself, to learn and become comfortable with your interests and your limits. But the fun part of growing as a person

I have always been an extremely picky eater. Growing up, I assumed I would simply dislike any food that I had not tried. I used to only eat the crust of the pizza, because I thought I wouldn’t like cheese. As I aged, I began to eat entire slices of pizza, but with nothing but cheese on them, but even tomato sauce. In middle school, I tried tomato sauce on my pizza, and realized it wasn’t all that bad, and today I like my pizza with pepperoni on it. To this day there are many things I am ashamed to admit that I have never eaten. However, I am now able to know and express how I like my pizza. By trying new foods, I have gotten to know my body, my taste, and my limits. Consequently, I have a much easier and more enjoyable time when it comes to