Years of practice? And yeah, it is. And I won't lie and say it doesn't bug me sometimes. Sometimes more than sometimes. But, at least for me, it kind of comes down to whether or not I let other people tell me who I am. Especially people who don't know me or only see one part of me. Especially people who don't bother to get to know me. This guy at home, Flash, he's kind of a jerk, especially to me. I don't remember ever giving him a reason to be, but he is. We don't hang out, so we don't really know each other, but he's got opinions on me based on whatever is going on in his head. I don't know. I'm not in there. But I gotta tell myself that maybe he's got something going on and is lashing out. Or maybe he's just judgmental. Whatever it is, it isn't anything I did (that I know of). And I have to remind myself that this person (whoever it is, not necessarily Flash) doesn't really know me. And that I get to decide to decide who I am. And I get to decide what I let bug me. Which, okay, that can be a lot harder to do than it is to say. It's all a work in progress. But I think my aunt and uncle helped a lot. And my friends. It's like that Eleanor Roosevelt quite: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I try not to give them consent. Or the negative things consent, I guess. And I try to remember the good things when I'm having a bad day. Yeah, I talk a lot, but I can always hold a conversation. I'm great for trivia night because, yeah, I know a lot about a lot of random things. Maybe I'm a dork, yeah, but I've got friends who are also dorks, and we all make pretty good friends. And it means I'm passionate, and what's wrong with having things you like? Yeah, someone's calling me a name, but if the extent of their abilities to come up with an insult is a penis joke based on my name? That's kind of really lame of them and says more about their lack of vocabulary than mine. Yeah, I did robotics club and marching band, but that just means I like building things and know how to build things, and I like music, and I can play a musical instrument or three. Like I said, it does still bug me. It does still make me feel a certain type of way. But it helps if you can find a few good things about yourself, too. Turn it around. If you're having trouble, you find someone who can help remind you of your good traits, someone who can help turn it around and shine a light when it's dark. And remembering it's not really about you; it's about them and them just needing a target.