The idea for this blog came about when I was talking to my sister over the weekend. We were discussing how we are beginning to care less and less about what people think. I mean this in a good way. It got me thinking about how our attitude to what people think about us can change throughout our life.

When I was at school, I was the opposite of a ‘cool kid’ but I still cared about what people thought of me. I’m not sure that I fitted into any of the stereotypical categories. I wasn’t cool, geeky, sporty or a goth I was just me. I had a good group of friends and that’s what mattered. But everyone was fully aware of who the ‘cool kids’ were. I knew I’d never be one of them but I still cared about what they thought of me and I didn’t want them to think that I was a complete idiot.

When I moved into the Sixth Form, even though many of the former ‘cool kids’ left the school (read into that what you will!), there was a new group of teenagers from Weymouth who started and they took over the ‘cool’ position. Again, I was still at the stage where it really mattered what other people thought of me. I would be upset if someone didn’t like me.

I’m not quite sure at what stage I began to care less about the opinions of others, it was probably quite a gradual process. Don’t get me wrong, I care about what my family and friends think about me but that’s probably about as far as it goes. Of course I’d like people to think well of me and to consider me to be a good person, but if they don’t there isn’t a lot I can do about it. I’ve come to the realisation that in life not everyone will like you, and that’s ok. As long as I have my family and a group of friends who love me for who I am, then that is all that should matter.

I live in my own little world a lot of the time and if I’m honest with myself, I’m probably a bit odd. But that’s ok! I accept that. I am who I am. That reminds me of a song I like by Gloria Gaynor.

‘I am what I am, I am my own special creation.
So come take a look, give me the hook or the ovation.
It’s my world that I want to have a little pride in,
My world and it’s not a place I have to hide in …
Life’s not worth a damn ’til you can say: I am what I am.’

It goes on to say ‘I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses’. I really like that line. That’s not to say that there aren’t things in my life that I’ve had to apologise for. Sadly there are many. There are also a number of things I’ve done that I’m not proud of.  But all I can do is learn from my mistakes and try to be a better person. I like it because it reminds me that it is ok to be silly, crazy old me.

There was a time when I would worry when I met new people that they wouldn’t like me or they’d think I was strange. I would worry about how I looked or the clothes I was wearing.

I was never really one for fashion but I still cared about wearing the right clothes to fit in. As I’ve got older I pay even less attention to fashion! I buy and wear what I like, and this is normally due to it feeling comfortable rather than it looking good!

Building on from my thoughts the other week about getting old and ‘wearing purple’, I’ve thought of a few things that I do or might start doing (I’ll leave it up to you to guess which ones fit into which category!).

* Sing along to my mp3 player, not worrying whether it is in my head or out-loud
* Take silly selfies with statues
* Roar like a lion when stretching as it is so much more satisfying
* Blow bubbles when drinking out of a straw
* Dance around my flat to S Club 7
* Wear clothes and patterns that clash
* Buy a piece of cake if I want to without worrying that I’ll be judged for being fat and greedy
* Kick through the Autumn leaves like a child
* Ride up and down the paternoster at Leicester University (Google it!)
* Gallop down the road if and when it takes my fancy

Can you think of any others I could add to my list?