You Need You

You need more of you. I don’t mean in that in a cheesy, conceited way, as if you should go buy more Starbucks drinks that match your personality. I mean that you should do things that reinforce your authenticity. There are parts of you that you might hide for fear of pain or approval, but letting that go is one of the most powerful things you can do.

When you try to be someone else, you begin to develop an identity that is not your own. If you are always trying to be a specific persona, then you must consider what that identity would do in each and every situation. You have to plan diligently and falsely. You also build up a person that is only part of you. We’ve all done this in some manner, whether it’s in front of friends at the playground or a job interview at the age of 40. But here’s the opposite path: if you always live the truth, you don’t have to think about your answers. If you are always embracing the real you, you don’t have to plan as diligently. Social situations are opportunities for you to connect, not to decide who you want to be. Interviews are opportunities to professionally express who you are, not build up a persona that gets the job.

I can’t guarantee a life of authenticity means a life of approval. There’s too much hate and hurt out there to always be accepted, but there’s something I can guarantee you: peace of mind. When your authenticity rises out of your heart and into your life, you live in peace. You sleep better, talk more confidently, and do your job more efficiently. Go be more of your authentic self, and live a life you’re proud of living.