Find yourself and become who you were meant to be. How many times have we gone along with what others wanted to do? We know all about our friends and the people around us, but do you know yourself?
Sure, you know what your favorite color is and what makes you angry, but it goes a little deeper than that. If you didn’t have your social environment, who would you be? Would you still be the same person or has your surroundings influenced you more than you know?
Who Are You?
You are not what other people think of you. Everyone has an opinion. It’s easy to allow what someone else thinks to become your label.
This develops as an unconscious habit that began when you were little. Adults would say things about you (whether encouraging or hurtful) and you accepted it, just because they said it. You were a kid – what else were you supposed to think?
As you become older, you came into peer pressure or cancel culture. You based your actions and thoughts around what would get others to like you. No one wants to be the odd one out, so it creates a behavior where you always go along with whatever is happening.
Everyone may like you, but do you like yourself? Can you stand to be alone with your own original thoughts for more than twenty minutes at a time, or does it scare you?
The older you get, you’ll notice how time flies and you’ll reflect on your life. If you listen to older people, one of their biggest regrets is not doing what they wanted to do, because they going along with what everyone else was doing.
If you don’t correct this habit, your entire life will pass you by.
How To Find Yourself
So how do you get to know yourself before it’s too late?
As mentioned above, spend some time alone. Allow your thoughts to wonder past what someone else would think. To some, this can be difficult – when you’ve never been alone, it can be hard to think for yourself because you’ve always accepted other people’s thoughts and not your own.
Break through that moment. Think on your own. Write a bucket list of things you want to do and achieve. You may think of things that seem extraordinary or out of place with what everyone else is doing, but that’s you. Diving into different experiences is what makes life adventurous.
This should be done completely on your own, without any distractions from anyone or anything else. Just you and your thoughts. Don’t be afraid of yourself or what you come up with. You’ve been hiding all this time – now it’s time to find yourself.
Everyone is not meant to be your friend. It’s fine if your interaction with someone becomes less. Some people are in your life for a season, not for a lifetime. They do what they were supposed to do and move on. Don’t cling – accept it and move on, too.
Once you actually take the time and find yourself, you’ll start to come across others who share the same interests. Be honest with yourself and act upon your thoughts. Stop ignoring what’s been inside of you – even if you must do it alone, just give it a shot.
You don’t always need an approving audience, but you do need to approve yourself. Be mindful , get to know what you like and who you are and love it! You don’t want to be 65 years old, wishing you would have lived life your way. The only person who can change it, is you.
Find yourself and love your life – you won’t regret it!