The Language of Your Soul
“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are”
– E. E. Cummings
As you progress through the process of change (Embracing Your Inner Warrior of Change) and work within your change framework (Personal Framework for Change) you need to be true to yourself; to act in accordance with who you are and what you believe. I know this may be a confusing concept when you are intentionally making change in yourself, driven from within you, and you may be thinking “I’m making change since I do not like something about me or my life.” Try not to confuse making change in yourself or life with being true to yourself. Actually, one way to look at it is that your drive or inspiration for change may be being fueled by you not being true to yourself.
So what does being true to yourself mean?
It means having the courage to love (Love Thy Self) yourself and accept yourself–not as someone else thinks you should be or comparing yourself to others, but truly being the best version of you. It means not giving into the pressures of others or pretending to be someone you are not just to be accepted, to fit in or be liked, etc. It means doing things that are genuine and a reflection of your authentic self. It means self-respect and functioning in your framework, but more importantly working within your nature and how you are “wired”– how you think, how you process information; following your value and belief systems; appreciating and developing your unique skills and talents; accepting that being different is a gift; and understanding yourself and loving yourself. Being true to yourself allows you to embrace your uniqueness and individuality and allows you to shine–and to be at peace.
Today there are many pressures to be something we are not because we mistakenly think it makes life “easier” if we go along with the masses or what we think will get us ahead or make us be happier. When we do this we start not only to set false expectations for ourselves, we sometimes start to live these false expectations and we lose who we are, our uniqueness and our individual beauty. We start to feel unhappy, confused, out of place, or just in a meaningless cycle of routine, and this spills over into all that makes up our lives–work, personal relationships, family, etc.
And it can manifest negativity and unhealthy habits. And it even can get us thinking that we just want to leave everything behind. But leaving everything behind is not the answer and will not solve the problem. The solution is to make the change in the one place where you can–within yourself. You set your intentions–and those intentions need to be rooted in your genuine self–and where you are being true to yourself.
Being true to yourself does require self reflection and introspection. It calls for you to be grounded (Grounding Yourself), and to learn to love yourself, and to be true to the very best that is you and to live within your highest values. It is listening to and following the language of your soul.
One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite poets! Great article! Being true to yourself is something we all should carry with us through our lives–through all its phases. Such a simple concept that often gets lost. Thanks for finding it for us!
Glad you liked it Karen, thanks for commenting. Indeed, many people seemingly wear masks in many aspects of their lives and once we can be courageous enough to take them off so to speak and be our true selves in life, a real sense of happiness and joy results from it.
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