Hard to reply in a few words. I went a couple directions when reading this but our kids came to mind, naturally. We raised two completely different people.

We have a daughter, 5 yrs older than our son. They have nothing in common. Nothing but us parents.

Coming from the same upbringing you would imagine some similarities. Nope. But, I do see them both in their world of pretense. Because I know them, not their pretend selves.

Our daughter bends over backwards to stand out and blend in at the same time. I see that as a struggle! . The son does everything not to conform. And they both strugge to find a comfort zone. I quit trying to influence forever ago.

What is really scary is watching the world influence our grandchildren. I am truly astounded at the level of influence these days. Way, way too much exposure for childen.

Making your own place in life doesn't always mean a big splash or the brightest light,. You can be yourself without a lot of attention. (which is a preferable for some), you can be yourself, make a difference, contribute with just a little ripple of YOU.

You need to go with the flowsometimes but go in your own style

So even if you aren't who everyone sees you as