I decided to be myself. And it was kinda scary. Because I always felt like I was a pretty weird guy. But I’ve also tried being like someone else and none of those identities I tried on worked. So even though I still feel at times that maybe I’m a little too weird, this is also where I’m most comfortable. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’m making so and so happy. I’m less stressed. Less anxious. And for the sake of my health, for the first time in my life, I feel like I could relax a little bit. Because stress and anxiety have always played such a large role in my life. I always wanted to “be somebody” and as cliched as it sounds, I eventually decided to just be myself. It’s hard though, because, how do you know what the “self” is unless you first try out a ton of other identities, right? So, as ironic as it sounds, it’s almost as if you have to go out and do all the things and be all the things you think you want to be in order to come back at the end of the day and truly appreciate who you are. Like traveling. You don’t really ever appreciate home until you’re on the road living out your backpack for 6 months straight and then you come home and you’re like wow, I kinda like it here. That’s how I found myself, at least.

by Jason Lam