Are You Brave Enough To Be Yourself?

~ You get one life to live. How will you live it? Your way or someone else’s? ~ talkswitheve

Are you brave enough to be yourself? For most of my life, I was not brave enough to be myself. As a small child, I did not want to ever be on the radar of anyone in authority. First, that was my parents. Then as I grew older, that fanned out to include other adults, including teachers, law enforcement, and employers.

My parents were quite strict and had high expectations for their children. Discipline was mainly carried out by my father, and as a girl, I had more rules than my brothers. My brothers also had more freedom to move about and make friends.

Making friends was, and continues to be, easy for me. However, I was only close to a few (my inner circle) as I preferred to be a loner. So, beginning in childhood, reading, and journaling became my passions, as I spent a lot of time in my room.

At the beginning, I enjoyed my childhood activities, and was pretty much left alone to do just that. Reports from my school were not alarming to my parents. My behavior in class raised no red flags, and neither did my grades.

The only thing I can recall that appeared frequently on my report cards, was that I needed to participate more in class. None of the teachers that wrote those comments explained further what those words meant. Maybe none was needed because neither of my parents addressed it – ever.

Finding yourself

My earlier life was lived as if I were two people in one. The outer person was living in compliance with society’s norm, and the expectations of my parents. That persona existed for the sole purpose of flying under the radar. She basically lived while hiding in plain sight.

The inner person, however, was my truth. Although not visible to others, I lived my truth in a quiet way. It was a challenge to manage what was basically two different personalities.

What worked for me was spending a lot of time alone – that was my recharging process. It earned me the label “anti-social” – but labels do not bother me – I live life by The Five Agreements.

Being one person living life as two people, however, depleted my thoughts and energy each day. Time alone for recharging was quite necessary.

After the death of my mother, something in me changed. It felt like the flip of a switch. The time had come to lose the outer persona.

Upon reflection, my mother’s death was a wakeup call. A reminder, that no one knows how much time they have to live their life. The time had come to live my truth – as one not two people.

You too can live your truth. Finding yourself is the first, and most important step. Check out a guide to finding yourself to begin your own discovery. We are each a unique individual, so your discovery methods will be unique to you.

Find what works for you. Don’t rush through your discovery. It will take some time. Treat it like a fun adventure.

Being yourself

Being yourself may seem like a general and cliché term. However, what it truly means, is specific to you only. Who are you really? Do you know who you are – at your core?

How do you know what being yourself is all about? What are you like when you are alone? All by yourself with no one watching? When you let your hair down and you are quite comfortable and relaxed?

Spending time alone is where you can start your discovery – of YOU. During those times when you are by yourself, take some time to reflect. Remember, we each have only one life to live. Don’t waste the opportunity to live life to its full potential.

Your journey

Your journey will be as unique as you are, and will be ongoing. Maybe it will take your entire life. There are many layers to each of us. Be patient as you peel back then spend time with each layer.

While on my own journey, I learned that I was intuitive. So what do I do? Since my discovery, I have been reading and learning more about intuition. This is why I say it’s an ongoing journey. Taking the time to learn about this layer before moving on to the next, is important to my journey. It will be the same for you.

Here are five simple steps to help you on your journey.

Having been (and still am) on this journey myself, I can say with much conviction, that you will feel strengthened and empowered. Being yourself is so important – to your life – your happiness.

The more you learn about you, the more amazed you will be, that you are truly an awesome person!

Believe it and be brave enough to be yourself!