Written by: Akshika Jangid
While scrolling through the feed of my social media account, I came across a quote that said, “The Hardest Challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be someone else.”
This hit me the most because in today’s fast-paced world, we often wear masks—pretending to be stronger, cooler, or happier than we really are. From workplaces to friendships, from family gatherings to social media, the trend of fakeness and double standards has seeped deep into our lives like it’s the ‘New Normal’. While we push ourselves to impress others or project an image we don’t truly live, the cost is often the authenticity of our relationships. 
This poem, “How Hard It Is to Be You”, is a raw reminder that honesty and genuineness are more valuable than any façade—and that real connections can only flourish when we dare to be our truest selves.
How hard it is to be you,
To just stay true;
And live a life without the guise—
Are we really harmed by all these borrowed lies?
As all I’m asking for a world with no disguise,
No masks to wear, no need to bluff,
Where no one fakes or acts too tough,
Pretending strength they never prize.
Why act so different with people you probably hate
Why hide behind a hollow show?
If hypocrisy makes you feel “great,”
Then, truly, you don’t even know.
For deep inside, there’s a person inside you that I wish you could see,
So honest, genuine, and just once, let yourself be
How long will it take to be like that ?
Because it is not a tit for tat
As it takes no more than one small change,
A shift within, not far away from your range;
The only difference it will make is
That you’ll be more worthier;
more than you expected too.
And for once, I wish you’d show yourself as —
The real and radiant soul I see,
All I am making is a gentle plea.
For those who truly stand nearby
Will love you ‘for you’—not your disguise.
At its heart, the poem voices a simple yet powerful truth: pretending may win approval, but authenticity builds trust and love. When we drop the mask, we not only free ourselves but also give others the courage to be real. In a world obsessed with appearances, being genuine is an act of quiet rebellion—and perhaps the biggest gift we can give to our relationships.
Because in the end, those who truly matter will appreciate us not for the roles we play, but for the people we really are.
