True To Yourself?

How do you portray yourself to the world and how much of what you display is the real you?

Do you conform to what the world expects of you or are you true to yourself?

I understand that there are situations where behaviour has to be adapted or controlled accordingly. For instance, you don’t behave in the same manner at a new year’s party as you do in a corporate board meeting and I do understand that moods and emotions also alter one’s behaviour. What I am referring to is the underlying character and building blocks of your self, the real you. What thoughts you have in your head, what you truly believe, who you are when you are alone.  These are what should not be compromised at any cost, just to suit expectations or to reach a current objective. Any change to your foundation or core will only weaken your overall being. You are who you are and if you have to change that to please someone else, then the truth is that they are not worth pleasing! If you are not that person they are looking for then move on and find out where you are appreciated for your true character. This is not only true in relationships but also in your place of work, community life, cultural groups, etc… Don’t compromise your true self as you are short-changing yourself and those around you with in-effect  – a lie, a façade, a disguise. It may work for a time but eventually the effort to keep up the front will be exhausting and the cost to yourself will outweigh the reward every time, guaranteed.

Being true to yourself does not mean that you are inflexible and opposed to new experiences and ideas. It means going through those experiences with an open mind and filtering them through your core beliefs. Keep those that fit and allow those that don’t align with your core filter, to pass through but now enriched with a new knowledge and understanding of what that experience is about.

Often those that are true to themselves are considered strange, unusual or weird, because they challenge the norm of worldly expectation, not out of rebellion but because they know who they are and are actually comfortable with themselves. I say they are the normal ones and the rest are the strange robots and clones created by the world in their masses. All sounds a bit science-fiction, but if we don’t stop and reassess who we truly are, why we are here and where we are heading then welcome to clone city. We were created as individuals with such unique characters, we need to foster an environment where everyone is valued for their differences. Let that be an objective in your heart: to not jump to quick judgement of someone because they are not the same as you. Experience that difference, you may be surprised what you find. The more we allow this to happen, the more accepting people will be towards one another and the freer people will be, to be themselves.