Just Be You
Most of us can sometimes find ourselves consumed by the opinions of others. As a society, we place too much weight on what others are doing and thinking about us. Let’s face it; everyone has an opinion. Yours is the one that matters most. Live your authentic self.
We are overly concerned about what others think of our decisions and how we choose to live our lives. Maybe it is because we all want to be liked and appreciated. We want to be accepted and liked. Coincidentally, there is a better way to go about achieving that.
What if you were just you, and people like you anyways? That would feel amazing! You would not have to pretend to be someone you’re not. I have been there and done that for fear of not being popular enough or outgoing enough. Let me tell you; it is exhausting to be someone you are not. Besides, I noticed that I was attracting people I wouldn’t say I liked to begin with.
Don’t Change Who You are
Rather than changing who you are, focus on whether you can live with the decisions you have made. Live your authentic self. Can you look in the mirror day after day and be happy with your choices? Ideally, ask yourself can you live with the choices you have made? Have you hurt someone to get what you want? We need to answer this truthfully and honestly.
From the time I was a child, I always cared about what people thought of me. Unfortunately, there is still a tiny part of me that does. Most of us are people pleasers. I now realize that this way of thinking is toxic and a considerable waste of time. Other’s opinions of me should not matter. I am actively working on this every day, and I am learning to live with intention.
What You See Is What You Get
Realistically, I am the only one who needs to be “ok” with who I am. I am the sole person who needs to make peace with the decisions I make. The way I live my life is up to me. The impact or lack of influence I have on the world is up to me. After all, this is my life. Permit yourself not to need others’ approval.
When I give too much weight to what everyone else thinks, I am not living my authentic life. Celebrate your uniqueness and your thumbprint. Most of us live our lives wanting to be liked. We all want to be noticed and to be accepted into a group. Free yourself of these thoughts and live more authentically and follow your path.
Following your distinct path appears simple, but it is not. It takes practice, belief, and determination. It is complex, and sometimes I still remind myself of this. Being transparent is hard.
What I’ve Learned
Impacting the world with my compassion, love and kindness is what I thrive for. Aim to be the best that you can. We are all born alone and we will all die alone. After all, only you need to be happy, fulfilled about the way you chose to spend the time in between.
Ultimately, we decide what and who we will invite into our lives, and why. It is time to shed those toxic relationships and embrace those that make us better. Some relationships help us to grow. These types of relationships accept us for who we are while others are judgemental and hold us back. Surround yourself with people who contribute something positive and who help your rise up.
Live Your Authentic Self
Take your very own journey to discover who you are and learn who you are. Ask yourself what you stand for and what you believe in. Sometimes, the answers are uncovered in the silence. At times, your insecurities can stare you in the face during the chaos.
The process will begin once you start paying attention to what moves you. Reflect on what makes you feel deeply and surrender yourself to that. Once you have uncovered your truth, what will you do with it?
At the end of your life, I want you to be able to say, “I did it the way I wanted, the way it was meant to be, for me!” How many of us can actually say that? Only you can change how your story ends.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Think how easily we throw around the saying “you can never make everyone happy.” This is such a true statement! We cannot rely on others. Happiness lies within each one of us, and this is why it is so difficult to figure out. It would be so much easier if we could blame others for our unhappiness.
Hold yourself to the same high standards that you would someone else. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Put in the work. Try your best to find happiness within yourself. Believe in yourself, and you will find out what is meaningful to you. This will get you closer to feeling complete—one moment at a time.
You can bring joy to others. You can spread happiness with those you love and share in their joy. Remember that no outside source will make you happy if you are not satisfied with who you are. There will always be an emptiness. No one expects you to be happy all the time, and this would be weird and unrealistic. We all deserve to feel true happiness within.
Finding Happiness
Discovering who you are, uncovering your true self and doing the reflective work is crucial in finding the real you. It is how you find happiness. Think about what moves you and where your passions lie. Discover the types of things that make you feel deeply and strike a cord? Unveil what is important to you. Determine what matters most to you and why.
The true meaning of happiness is defined differently for each one of us. This answer will be different for all of us. Remember that you do not have to justify your answers or get approval from anyone!
Why Live An Authentic Life?
You are robbing and cheating yourself out of the time you have on earth when you are not living your authentic life. It is essential not to take for granted the chances you have to get it right.
You are wasting precious time that you have been given to make a difference if you don’t live authentically. Fully live without boundaries and limitations set by others.
Living a more authentic life is true freedom. Your life experiences will become limitless, and success will be yours when you fully believe in yourself.
Regrets
We all have regrets and wish that we could go back and change things. Moving forward, we can. We need to change this feeling or at least diminish it. Once you get closer to discovering who you are, you will find that you will have fewer regrets.
Eventually, you will make different choices. Ultimately, you will make choices based on what is suitable for you instead of what is right for others. Have faith in yourself and in what you believe. You can do this! We should all live with less regret.
Celebrate Yourself
Hopefully, you have put in the time to answer some of these questions for yourself. Did you learn something surprising about what you value? Remember that this takes time, and you may not like what you have discovered. Find things that were difficult to answer? Chances are, the answer is yes. That means that you have begun the work.
Congratulations on discovering something new about yourself. Take some of the things you have learned about yourself and apply them to live a more authentic life.
Challenge yourself to return to this page when you are ready to answer these questions.
Life is a work in progress. Continue to learn about yourself. Promise yourself to preserve. You deserve to live your authentic self and owe it to the world and those that you love.
