Being in Hufflepuff, honesty is something I value.  I don’t like people being fake with me.  An example of this comes with my friendships.  I can usually tell when someone is being nice only because they feel bad for me.  And I hate it.

Criticism is a tricky thing for me.  While I want people to be honest with me, it’s also nice to have encouragement.  Even though I had my ups and downs in college – and believe me, there was more than one occasion where I felt like a fool in front of my professors – they still believed in me.  They saw my potential underneath my struggles.  That really meant – and still means – a lot.

That kind of constructive criticism works for me.  What doesn’t work is a constant stream of critical negativity.  It makes me feel like I can’t do anything right, and it undermines my sense of self-confidence and self-esteem.  But some people seem to think encouragement is a bad thing.  I don’t know why.  I was able to deal with it in my formative years, but everything changed when I went away to college.

In college, I had freedom.  I was able to do what I wanted, when I wanted.  And yes, I made mistakes.  But I like to think I learned from those mistakes.

But for some people, it seems like even the smallest mistake is unacceptable.  Well, newsflash:  nobody’s perfect.  I am not a child anymore.  I have a right to be my own person.  I don’t have to please everyone around me.  In fact, it’s impossible.  I’ve tried so hard to please people; I don’t know if I can do it anymore.

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