By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer

Respectfully, I really don’t care what you think about me. You shouldn’t care what I think about you either, because what’s the point? There are so many things in my life that I can control; why would I stress about something I can’t?

We’ve grown up in the era of social media when there’s always something happening on our screen, no matter what’s going on in our life. It has gotten to the point where a lot of people don’t know what they like, but they know what everyone else likes. Social media isn’t a real place. Nothing you see on there is reality. It’s someone else’s life — someone else’s thoughts and beliefs. It’s cool to share with others, but don’t forget to live your own life too.

You shouldn’t need approval to do something you want to do. As long as what you’re doing isn’t harming yourself or anyone else, go for it. Sometimes you have to live life for yourself and not be constantly worried about what others may or may not think about it.

I’m not saying I don’t value anyone’s opinion, because there are a good number of people whose thoughts I tend to seek out. When making important decisions, I’m the first person to pick up the phone and call my mom or dad to make sure I’m not doing something I’m going to regret. However, that’s with decisions I find to be more important, such as before I sign a lease or do something with real consequences.

There are times when I genuinely need help coming to a decision, and not every decision is life-altering. When I’m deciding on something, that should be based on what I want. It only impacts me, so I consult me, myself and I. Not everyone is going to like my outfit or my Instagram post or my Lariat article, and I’m OK with that. If likes and retweets were what I lived for, I definitely wouldn’t be writing this.

I can see the argument that if you took my advice, then you would be caring about what I think, and I find that hilarious. Only you can make yourself happy, and only you can decide what makes you happy. Try living more for yourself and less for what you think everyone wants you to be. The best version of you is the one you want to be.