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I'm glad I clicked on this thread, because it really asks a lot of questions that I've asked myself NUMEROUS times.
Although I tend to have a unique personality, and most people comment on my ability to be "me", I also have a tendency to pick up accents, catch phrases, or general patterns (in speech, behavior, personality) of those around me, especially people I respect or admire. Sometimes, it's helpful, as long as I can see what part of that new pattern fits me as an individual.
As has been mentioned, we're really just an amalgamation of the influences and experiences that we've been through. Each person that we have significant contact with really shapes who we are and how we act, and I think that's totally normal.
Also, as for being comfortable with yourself, that takes time. I was always very uncomfortable with myself, especially my physical appearance. I had gotten my personality to a point that I felt somewhat happy with in high school, but still hated what I saw in the mirror.
For me, the answer to that was to change what I saw. I took control of my physical self by losing a large amount of weight at first. This led to me totally changing my appearance and style of dress. This gave me a lot of new found confidence, although I still didn't exactly like what I saw in the mirror. Eventually, however, I started noticing that people I found attractive and whose opinions I believed and respected started to find me attractive not only for my personality but for the physical "me".
I'm not going to tell you that the way you look is everything, but if you can't be comfortable with that, then it's hard to be comfortable with anything else. Once you start to not only accept, but enjoy the way you look, act, think, etc. you'll notice other people doing the same. And one day you'll just realize "Hey, this is who I am, and by God, I like it".
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it's all about self-indulgence
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