But it is your duty to honor yourself, your morals and your beliefs and not change who you are, what you do or how you act based upon what other people think.

Everyone has a story about a time they have been judged and worn down to their breaking point.
I have encountered this situation more times than I would like. I have been placed in situations in which I was the target of judgement for multiple reasons.

When I was in third grade, about 10 girls in my class threw rocks at me at recess because they were upset I was farther ahead in the material than they were. These mere 9-year-old girls already were this cruel.

I chose to be the bigger person in this situation and let what happened on the playground that day disappear from how I viewed them and I continued on to, as some might say, “just do me.”

And those girls got suspended for what they did, by the way.

I always was set apart in some way or another — whether it was based on my lack of ability to throw a football accurately in gym, judgemental glares from my teacher during my middle school science fair or how I looked.

I must admit, this wore me down — a lot. I spent a long time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and why people treated me like this, and it broke me.

I was going through a hard time, especially during the latter years of middle school and early years of high school, when I went through a phase of trying to fit in with everyone else and neglected to remain focused on what truly was important during those times.

As I look back on my younger years, I am disgusted with the amount of self pity I gave myself. I can see now how my mental breakdowns affected my schoolwork and relationships with my family and few true friends I did have.

I should have been able to look the other way and not let what others said or did impact me, but as most things go, this was easier said than done.

In college, it finally hit me. I came to the realization of who I truly was and once that was established, I never let people try to reshape my personality to conform to what they liked. If you don’t like my music and aren’t interested in the sports I enjoy, that’s perfectly fine. It doesn’t matter. You do you, and I’ll do me.

Although I have developed a stronger understanding for myself since college, and have learned to deal with judgemental situations of all types, I still encounter issues in which I am judged.

One day during my freshman year in college, I was longboarding — yes, girls do that — when someone cut me off on the sidewalk. Of course, I took the fall so she didn’t have to and landed right on my knee. I couldn’t move.

I was hoping someone walking by would at least lend a hand, but in the minutes I laid there, not one guy, but three, walked past me and didn’t stop.

I’m a girl “skater,” so I should know how to take care of myself since I’m doing something only boys do, right? This was the look they each had on their scowling faces as they walked by.

That moment never stopped me from longboarding, though. I’ve continued to board for three years now. This particular incident was only one more thing to add to the list of ways I have been judged.

But after all this, I remain unscathed. The events of the past have not destroyed who I am. They have, in contrast, added to my character and made it stronger.

I’ve learned to take the negative glances and stares I might see once in awhile and not only ignore them, but greet them with a friendly smile. I’ve learned to not let what people say bother me anymore. After all, what would this accomplish? More stress and less self confidence. No thanks.

Perhaps these issues eventually will wear on me as they do with other people, but until then, I’ll just keep doing me.

RuAnne Walworth is a staff writer at The State News and a journalism junior. Reach her at walwor12@msu.edu.