One of my favorite quotes from Daria is when Helen is nervous about meeting some people:
Daria: Just be yourself - that’s what you always told me.
Helen: I could kick myself for that.
The big question is who are you, this self you’re being? Is this the person you want to be? The whole “be yourself” thing works better for people with a self-image they were working towards. Being someone isn’t a passive experience, it’s an activity; some call it living.
That doesn’t sound right. Don’t know if it means anything to you, but when I see your posts in other forums (esp the games forum), I know I’m gonna hit something interesting and well-written. So there’s that. You might not have a rational view of yourself right now; consider getting a second opinion :).
I rarely see any reason to change myself for others. I have changed for myself, to stop being an obstinate fool about trivial things, and to not need to always work so hard to enjoy my life.
If currently you find yourself wasting energy fighting against “conformity” you can either learn to look as if you are conforming or you can actually learn to not care what the mundanes think.