Be Yourself
13 October 2011
Of course, this is not new. Being yourself is widely regarded as a good idea in all situations. “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” Indeed. It’s so simple, and clearly not so easy. We are mostly sheep, looking for clues from others on how “to be.”
I invite you to look within. And I mean that literally. “Looking within” is one of those phrases that makes people often freeze up, thinking, “oh no… another Gandhi, Tony Robbins wannabe trying to motivate me to greater inner peace and righteousness…” Well, for one, so what? You got a better idea?…!! Just try this: Quite literally and deliberately “look within” at how your chest and gut feel when you act this way or that. Our bodies tighten and tell us what to do; we just have to take care of them.
Eat your vegetables, don’t drink too much alcohol and smoke too many cigarettes. When faced with the choice to share an opinion that only validates you, your kin, and massages your ego; or to relay some kind words… try either shutting up or being kind.
Being yourself is not always about uniqueness and your opinions. It is about taking the “high road.” When we are asked to be ourselves, it is usually in situations where it is challenging to do so. We are our greatest selves when we question norms, often taking a less popular course of action.
