rguably the biggest problem facing young adults nowadays is the struggle to find oneself; nearly everyone, at some point in his/her life, has an oft-quoted identity crisis.

The hardships that come with finding your niche can be truly grueling, as one can go through many phases trying to find what fits. Goth, emo, urban, hipster, scene—what is for you?

There is now a healthy dose of advice that will likely solve your problem: Be yourself. There is no need to scan the halls of Ben Davis and try to pinpoint the social group which seems "coolest." In this day and age, conformism is essentially non-conformism.

Confused? Let me kick some knowledge.

Take the urban crowd—black, white, Latino, Asian, whatever. The ideology behind such a style was breaking apart (and apart from) the establishment. Rules and guidelines for what should be worn and what should be said were, quite realistically, "square." But with the rise in style came the decline in originality and quality. Nowadays, dressing "urban" is associated with slop: baggy pants, oversize shirts and some fresh Nikes.

In simple terms: They all look the same.

Have you ever seen an old friend from elementary who is now completely different? Perhaps ol’ khaki-panted James is now rockin’ ICP clothes, dreads and chains. Have you ever seen this type of person and thought, "Wow, that is definitely not them"?

You may be right.

Buddy pal James is likely not very happy with his lifestyle, will grow quick of it and, inevitably, move on to the next trend in fashion and dialect.

The key to being happy is to be yourself. In attempting to follow "norms" and trends, you are breaking apart from that which makes you, well, you—your personality and own sense of style. And just because you listen to x-artist, that does not mean you should dress like you do, granted it does not fit you.

Take me, for example. All I listen to is rap music: Pac, Wu Tang, Nas, Bone Thugs, Masta Ace, etc. That being said, I cannot stand the dress style and speaking code associated with the genre. Do I get made fun of for looking the way I do while listening to what I listen to? Certainly. Do I care?

Absolutely not.

Life is much simpler when you do not follow the path. The key is to create your own in order to leave a trail. People take notice when you are a circle in a room full of squares—take that however you wish.

Listen to what you want, dress how you please, speak how you feel and be what makes you you; live the life which only you can live.

And happiness does not just come from your wears and wares—it also comes from the people with whom you surround yourself. Develop your beliefs and morals as early as possible and stick with them.

You can well judge a man by the company he keeps—and you are no exception to the eyes of onlookers. If you have people in your octagon of friends who make you genuinely uncomfortable, provide beneficial services and who offer no support, perhaps it is time to cut corners and form a true circle of friends and acquaintances.

You only live once, so you would be doing a grave disservice to yourself by wasting your time with people who do not fit what you are looking for. Be cognizant of shady people who seem to only have the sole living purpose of harming you or bringing you down. These are not people who help build foundations of future friendships and partnerships; these are snakes and obstacles on the path to happiness.

Take your time and find the people who harbor within themselves an inherent good and will to do positive things.

Positivity is the key to happiness, while strength is the glue that holds it together. One must be strong in order to sever ties with people whom he/she deems negative; one must be strong to avoid the wrong crowd; one must be strong to ignore the cries of "You are too judgmental!" when he/she stays away from certain people or lifestyles.

The real people in the world will accept and love you for being you—not for masquerading around as something you are not. True friends come as a result of people being fine with you being you.

True happiness comes from not being afraid to be yourself.