Today is my son’s 12^th birthday.

It seems like only yesterday that he was without a doubt the cutest toddler on earth, and since he is the youngest in the family it is definitely with much melancholy that we approach the incoming teen years with him, never to steer another through the early childhood years again. From day one he has been his Mom’s “baby”, the youngest and only son and more-than-willing recipient of all the benefits that are a part of that special mother-son bond. So it is probably most difficult of all for my wife to watch him grow into a young man. Still, we are proud of who he is becoming, and it is part of this that I want to share with you in a simple but profound lesson I have learned from him.

In recent months my son has begun taking an interest in how he looks. He started showering regularly – even daily at times – and he started having an actual hairstyle instead of the bed head he had previously championed. Simultaneously he started asking for specific types of jeans, shoes, t-shirts and other clothes, putting together a consistent personal style. It seemed to happen almost overnight, so quickly in fact that one day while shopping I asked him about his new interest in fashion and his personal appearance.

“So what do you call your style?” I asked. “Is it ‘skater’ or ‘emo’ or ‘urban’ or something else? I’m not sure how I would classify it.”

Without a second’s hesitation he looked me in the eye and said, “Awesome.”

I didn’t catch it at first. “What? What’s awesome?” I queried.

“My style,” came the reply. “My style is awesome.”

I began to laugh out loud. Not at his expense, but completely intrigued and amused by his quick wit. Then I began to marvel at the sheer brazen confidence he had displayed in his one word answer. After pondering the exchange a bit more I realized that my 12-year-old son had summed up one of life’s most important lessons in a moment’s time, and that it is also a lesson we who interact on social media need to be reminded of and share with others. The lesson is this: be yourself.

Simple, yes. But far too often I am witness to others on social networks and in life working diligently at trying to figure out the best way to fit in, or asking what the “proper” or “accepted” way of doing things is supposed to be. It smells distinctly of high school popularity contests, where the “cool kids” dictate what is “cool” to all others outside their circle, and the masses follow blindly like mindless lemmings.

This is a soapbox I have stood upon before, and will most likely visit a time or two again in the future, but it is a reminder I know that I need for myself, as well as one that others may have not yet heard.

Be yourself.

Don’t look to others to tell you what’s “right” or “wrong”. Use your own intelligence and common sense to determine your own behavior and methodology. Sure, engage with others and share thoughts and questions to aid in your quest for your own personal approach, but don’t mechanically follow others’ recommendations or rules simply because it seems to be what the majority is doing.

Every human being is unique. You are the only one exactly like you and there is a reason for that. If you relinquish your individuality to be replaced by a supposedly more acceptable or popular personality, you are not only missing out on all the potential of your own life experiences, but you are removing your personal contribution to the fabric of our global society.

Think about it. What if some of the greatest heroes of our history had chosen to succumb to the status quo rather than step outside the box, against all popular or known thought?

Yes, your contribution to social media and to life in general may not be one of such epic proportions, but how will you ever know the full potential of your life’s impact if you choose to live someone else’s?

Be yourself.

Make mistakes. Try again. Get laughed at maybe. But be yourself.

In social media, being yourself may or may not breed the results so many claim to be invaluable. You may not get thousands of ‘friends’ on Facebook or ‘followers’ on Twitter. You may not end up with internet fame. But at the end of the day, I can’t imagine anyof those things being better than knowing you have been true to who you are.

Suppose someone asked you who you are, how you do things, what your personal approach to social media – or more importantly, life – is. How would you answer? Would you rattle off amounts of friends and followers as measurement of your theoretical success? Would you proceed to explain how you have mastered the accepted and ‘correct’ etiquette with hopes of someday achieving the nirvana of social media – and life – popularity?

Personally, I would find that response disappointing. I would much rather run with the pack of proudly proclaimed individuals who swim upstream, bucking the system in an effort to influence and improve it, never settling and always reaching. I want to hang with and be one of those who, when asked who I am and what I’m about, will reply, without hesitation and brimming with confidence, “Awesome. I’m all about awesome.”

Wouldn’t you?

I’m proud of my son. This post, and more importantly every moment of my life, is dedicated to him and my entire amazing family. Happy birthday, Noah. You are awesome.

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