This message is long.  For those not owning an offline shtick, forgive me.
 And I won't think baddly of those who skip it.  But I'd still like some
 responce.

 BD> I'm not sure I understand this, but if you're talking about competing
 BD> for a  girl, then you don't have to know the competition or his ways.
 BD> Just be  yourself.  That should be good enough.  If it isn't, you're
 BD> trying for the wrong girl...


Well, yeah, its So Easy to say this.  And I'm not saying I Don't try to
be myself.  But I tend to have a minor problem.  Who am I?

I mean, and I don't believe I'm alone in this, but its not EASY to be
yourself when you have to wonder Who you really are.  Do you want to
be the artist, the writer, the romantic, the playwrite, all of these and
seem possibly arrogent and self-centered, or non of these and seem
unflatering.

I have decided that I am going to stop makeing myself feel like I'm not
Good at something.  Most of my life, someone would look at some doodle I
was conjuring and say, "Wow!  That's amazing!  Your incredible."... I hated
it.  The worst was when they would say, "Oh, I could never do that!".

I like people likeing me for who I am, but first I'd like to know it first.
And the reason?  That which ties all this nonsence together:

     We are all artists.  We are all Playwrites.  We are all Romantics.

Many of you will full out disagree.  It doesn't matter to me.  I've made
my decision.  And when you tell me, "Oh, I could never do that!", you are
not only lieing to me, or to yourself, but your also telling me who you
think you are.

No-one wants to say "Oh, I would never LIKE to do that", because I'm pretty
sure we would all love to just sit down and make something we feel is
beautiful.  So instead we say "Oh, I could NEVER...".
We stop ourselves, and we set our own limits, and we find out who we are
and who we want to be.

I promised myself I would not say that anymore.  But now who am I?
When I present myself to someone, who am I?
Who do I want to be?
How do I not risk being something I'm not?
What happens if I find out I'm really someone else.

Now, you can tell me that if the person is right, they will accept
me for whoever I am.  I don't think that's fair for Her though, do you?
To be someone, become interested in them, trust them, and find out there
feelings are so unsure.

I have a strong relationship right now, and I don't want to loose it.
I'm always afraid I'm going to find out that I'm not who I say I am.
That I've been playing some part in an elabrate play, and when the curtain
falls.... well, I'm not really frightened... I'm just trying to fight
what I used to be, insecure.

As for meeting new people.  The answer isn't really, "Be yourself", but
more, "Be who you want to be!", and maybe you will find that Who you
Want to be, is really YOU hideing inside yourself all along.

Don't say, "I could never..."
Say, "I've never really tried."

Give yourself a chance.

-Iago's Corpse