stop trying to impress people I don't even like

I think when I try to impress people I don’t like, it is because I want to be accepted in the neighborhood, or on the softball field with the other parents,etc. etc. But then I realize that my views on things may be different than theirs and I worry that they will not like me if they see that I really do not like certain things, etc. etc. It is about status…But I think that being true to myself is much more important than status. It is hard when you live in a small town, though. I am trying to get out of the small town mindset and traveling to Washington, D.C. recently really helped me to see that the world is bigger and more open-minded than just my small town! I have cut off certain aquaintances that I really didn’t care for simply because life is too short to be around people that drain you and that are negative! I hate negative energy and I am bound and determined to start expressing myself and my feelings better and if people don’t like me for it, then I can accept that. I will know that I didn’t want or need to be friends with them anyway! So, everyone stop trying to impress people you don’t like…you will LOVE YOURSELF FOR IT!!! And, in the long run, self-love is the best thing to have!!!! If you do not love yourself, how in the world can you love someone else????