Are you afraid to be yourself?
I love this quote. It sums it up perfectly.
Be yourself: everybody else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
It reminds us that we should always strive to be our unique selves.
Think about some of these questions.
Do you act a certain way around people so that they will accept you?
Do you put up a false front so that you will be popular amongst your work colleagues, friends, or family?
Do you ever feel that if you were your true self, people would reject you?
Do you pretend to be something or someone you’re not?
Relationships are often the easiest place to spot where we are not being ourselves. We tell a new or existing partner we like something they like, to impress or connect with them. Then we end up doing activities we hate just to keep them happy!
Let’s look at some ways we can be more ourselves.
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Work out what you are afraid of
If you find yourself hiding who you really are the question to ask yourself is why?
What are you afraid of?
It may be something in your past you are not proud of (we all have those by the way!) or a personality trait that you think people simply won’t understand.
You are probably worried that people might not accept the ‘real you’.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes this is the case. Some people will not accept a particular lifestyle choice or a personality trait.
The good news is there will be other people with who you can connect. They are the people you should be gravitating towards.
If you are struggling to identify your fears and need help working through your failures and mistakes, CreativeLive has a course that can help. How to be Bold, Resilient and Better Than Ever is run by Tabatha Coffey. This course can help build up your resilience and get you moving forward. We all fall down but it’s how we bounce back that is important. Have a look through the course curriculum to see how it can benefit you.
Accept not everyone is going to like you
Sometimes we are afraid to be our true selves because we feel other people won’t like us.
The response I have for you is so what?
If you want to be happy, this is one thing to understand and wrap your head around right now.
Not everyone is going to like you and that is perfectly normal!
If you think being smart, popular, or beautiful is going to change that you are wrong. Sometimes people just won’t like you. Don’t take it personally, it just means your personality and their personality don’t mesh or you don’t have much in common. It doesn’t mean anyone is right or wrong or good or bad.
Trying to please everyone, all the time will make you miserable.
In case you were wondering this applies to family as well. Just because you might share some form of genetics does not mean that you will like each other. That’s perfectly okay. Don’t beat yourself up about this one.
This great quote says it all –
You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who hates peaches.
Related content –
- 12 Things To Remember When You Think You’re Not Good Enough
- Know Your Worth – 10 Things You Need to Stop Doing
- Know Your Own Worth Even When it Feels Like the World Doesn’t Quite Agree with You
- Don’t Let Anyone Define Your Worth
- 20 Know Your Worth Quotes to Increase Your Self-Worth
Find your tribe
You may, in fact, belong to several tribes. You don’t have to settle for just one.
By your tribe, I mean group or community. It’s about hanging out with like-minded people who share your interests or values.
It’s about hanging out with people who get you.
Sometimes our tribes can be a little hard to find but once we find them it is so worth it!
Heads up – finding your tribe will be much easier if you be yourself.
Accept yourself
This can sometimes be the hardest part.
Often it’s not other people giving us grief for who we really are – it’s ourselves!
We all have faults and we all have exceptional qualities yet it’s our faults or weaknesses we tend to focus on. We judge ourselves far too harshly.
If you often find yourself thinking – I wish I was more this or I wish I was more that, or why can’t I be like him or her? – you are not fully accepting yourself.
We can be our own worst enemies by comparing ourselves to other people and wanting to be something we are not.
All acceptance starts with you. If you accept and honor who you are, other people are more likely to be accepting.
At the very least accepting yourself will empower you to deal with other people’s lack of acceptance.
Awareness of areas that you want to improve in is fantastic. Growth is what this blog is about after all but it helps to have a level of acceptance and self-love already in place to be in a healthy place to grow.
Related post – Stop Waiting for Acceptance – Accept Yourself
Be yourself
You are a unique individual. Yes, you are! You have your own amazing set of skills, talents, faults, and personality traits.
But that is what makes you so amazing! How utterly boring would it be if we were all the same?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be who you truly are because it’s glorious!
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