What we pay for in attention We purchase in identity What we consume by choice We create from inevitably The person we see today Is a byproduct of yesterday And who we'll be tomorrow Is paid in full each day—invariably
…Is being who you truly are.
If you’re having a hard time being yourself, rather than question yourself (what’s wrong with me?!), question everything else.
Being yourself shouldn’t require effort. It should never beget self-consciousness.
Being yourself should be effortless. It’s what comes from an absence of self-consciousness.
Being yourself is you in your raw, pure, and untainted state.
If what’s coming from you isn’t that—then it’s because of a factor that’s foreign to you.
That foreign element is making you (or has made you feel) reserved, fearful, and doubtful.
Question who or what that source might be (or has been):
Once you’ve identified what foreign elements are causing you internal conflict—remove as many of those influences from your life as you can.
Anything that moves you away from yourself should be removed (or at least mitigated) from your life without hesitation.
And anything that makes you feel more yourself should be more included in your life without hesitation.
Nothing in life goes well when you’re not able to be yourself.
Being yourself comes first.
You can travel 5,000 miles, hike to the top of 100 mountains, lounge at 50 beaches, sail all seven seas, and step foot in every country of the world…
And still not find yourself.
Sometimes outward exploration becomes synonymous with inward exploration.
But, self-discovery isn’t always the byproduct of travel.
Inward reflection is where “selves” are found.
And inward reflection doesn’t cost a thing. No planning required. No time off work needs to be submitted.
You simply need to create space for stillness.
You know, the same way you would when you step into an awe inspiring scene of nature.
See, travel can be used as a hack that elicits stillness, but don’t get it twisted…
Stillness is available to you every day. And waiting until you travel far-and-wide before you explore your inner workings is a costly way to live.
Better to create some space, put on some noise-cancelling headphones, and start doing some of that inner exploring today.
Creating is self-expression in its rawest form.
We take already expressed things from the world, mix and mash them up with our ideas, and end up with a never before expressed thing that we get to share.
Which is why, the ultimate win from a creation is a renewed desire to create.
Because self-expression isn’t something that’s ever done—it’s as living and as breathing as we are. And the more we create—the more we express ourselves—the better we get to know ourselves.
It’s also our creations that act as the very foundation of our legacies—what better way to be remembered than by referencing what we uniquely expressed?
With that in mind, here are some gentle reminders for you to keep in your back pocket as you continue to create:
Remember, the ultimate loss from a creation is an extinguished desire to create.
Authenticity is about congruence between our deeper values and beliefs (i.e., a “true self”) and our actions.
via Chris Do, Twitter
Being authentic is hard when:
Because we live in a world that is constantly pushing its influence on us from every angle, it can be hard to figure out what it is that we actually think.
And without that clarity of thought, of course our actions are going to be misaligned.
Being authentic is easier when:
Until we choose to put up boundaries to block outside influences, we will continue to get pushed around and act in ways that are misaligned, unnatural, and confusing even to ourselves.
Boundaries to the outside world are precisely what’s needed to process, organize, and remix. It’s precisely how we settle our mudded minds. It’s precisely how we quiet the ego so we can hear the whisper of our Self.
In short: being authentic is hard when you let the world tell you who you are. Being authentic is easier when you listen to your Self, decide who you want to be, and tell the world who you are.
And while the latter can challenging in its own respect, it will always be exponentially easier than living an inauthentic life.
You don’t start acting like a black belt when you get a black belt.
It’s only after you’ve acted like a black belt long enough that you finally receive one.
The same is true for any other identity you want to embody in life.
You become it by acting like it long enough.
The “becoming” doesn’t happen first.