True to Yourself

This past weekend I have had to face some things in myself. Yes,

that’s right, just because I write this blog about how to create your own life and have a better one doesn’t mean I’m perfect. I had to deal with some authenticity and integrity issues. You know; how to be true to yourself.

Authenticity is loosely defined as being genuine or trustworthy. Integrity, also loosely defined, is adhering to your values or principles. Now my own definition of authenticity would be, being true to myself and who I really am. Integrity would be to live according to my values and those things that I feel are important to me.

I have to admit that I often slide into thinking I have to be what others want me to be. As a kid, it was always much easier to be what my mother wanted me to be and do than it was to face her wrath! Later I switched that and tried to be everything she didn’t want me to be. Either way, I was not always true to who and what I was.

We all do that to some extent. We all, well most all, want to please others and be liked. It gets us into trouble when we do it to the extent that we no longer are authentic to our true self and we no longer live in integrity with our own values or life principles.

In order to have this blog be popular or to help as many people as possible, I found myself sounding more life Deepak Chopra than myself. Truth be told, I am not some self help guru. I don’t have all the answers. What I have are some techniques or methods that have helped me to change my life from being pretty miserable to being one that is happy most of the time and free from many of the things, like unmanageable anger and violence that used to plague me.

Are you true to yourself? Do you even know what that is? Do you know who you are and what you believe in? Most of us can look at a friend and say who that person is and what their values are, but when asked the same question about ourselves, we have no answer.

Learn about yourself. Take some time today. While you commute to your job, or at lunch, think about who you are. Are you someone who likes to joke? Do you like to snuggle and hug or do you like to be competitive? What makes you happy? What makes you tick?

This may take some time, but it is well worth it. Get to know yourself. You might even ask someone close to you; someone who will be honest and tell you the truth. Write down all the things you like and dislike. Write fast without thinking. When you can’t write anymore, look back over the list. Do you live according to what’s on that list?

To be true to yourself doesn’t mean that you do what you want, no matter how it might affect someone else. It does mean that you get to know yourself and you begin to live your live without apology for who you are. It means taking responsibility for your life and living it to the best of your ability!

To put it in my own authentic way, don’t take any crap from anybody, especially yourself!

Here’s to You!

P.S. Here’s a great book with great reviews on how to really be authentic by Mike Robbins.