Be Who You Are

Each of us has a job. It is the only job we will ever have, and no one is more qualified than us to do it. That job is to be who we are, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

I remember as a kid I used to watch Mr. Rogers on TV. He was always telling us, “You’re special just the way you are.” And he really meant it.

But each time I went forth into the world, I didn’t feel like people wanted me to be my special self. At every turn I heard, “Don’t do this” and “Don’t do that.” Unfortunately I took this to mean, “Don’t be yourself if you want us to love you.”

Wanting to be accepted and loved, I started to hide who I was. I got really good at it. It seemed to work for awhile, but only on the surface. Eventually my I’m-here-to-please-others facade collided with my true inner-rebel self, and all hell broke loose.

But I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to happen that way. There is a shortcut to accessing the authentic you. It just takes guts, self-compassion, and a little bit of patience. Here it is…

How to Rediscover Your Authentic Self

1. Put your hand on your heart, close your eyes, and take a deep breath.
2. Keeping your hand on your heart, say, “I love who I am. I love who I am. I love who I am.”
3. Then walk over to a mirror. Repeat steps 1 and 2, except this time keep your eyes open and look at yourself the whole time.
4. Repeat as often as necessary!

Is this the only way to rediscover your authentic self? Absolutely not. But one thing I’ve learned on my own journey is that whenever I’m confused and unsure of myself, I get frustrated with vague advice such as, “Just be yourself.” In those moments, my typical response is, “I know I should just be myself, but tell me how!”

It’s true that we already know how to be who we are, but sometimes we need a reminder.

Posted by Kristin on October 31, 2009