The greatest gift you can give to yourself, your family, friends and acquaintances, is to be yourself. You are a unique individual, who has strengths and weaknesses, personality traits that characterize you, experiences that have challenged you, and talents that celebrate you.
You never want to diminish or underplay your gifts or overemphasize your imperfections. It is not helpful to others when you underestimate your own capabilities or be someone else on their behalf. Therefore, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do you get caught up doing the “right” thing because of someone else’s expectations?
2. Are you intentionally hiding special qualities about yourself so you won’t stand out?
3. Can you be yourself even if others disapprove of you?
Your goal is to be more accepting, appreciative and accommodating of yourself. Does it really matter what others think? It seems pointless to try to please everyone because in the end, you harm your own personal development and glowing spark of self-confidence.
Does this mean you shouldn’t trust someone else’s opinion? Of course, not. You always want to be socially accepted, but be sure you are among people whose values are like yours and who have your best interest in mind.
Therefore, take the time to examine your life and all the choices you have made. Learn to be comfortable with what you have, yet be flexible enough to take on new ideas, learning from others and from your past.
When you learn the lessons and continue to grow, you are no longer defined by a moment in your past or a period of time that you believe still describes who you are. Instead, you begin to develop your own sense of style, expression, and individuality and that becomes who you are today.
Always strive to be the best version of you that you can be. With pride and strong belief, tell yourself how special, wonderful and worthwhile you are and use the following mantra (Author Unknown) as your guide:
I choose…
To live by choice, not by chance
To make changes, not excuses
To be motivated, not manipulated
To be useful, not used
To excel, not compete
I choose self-esteem, not self-pity
I choose to listen to my inner voice, not random opinions of others.
Be yourself. Who is there better to be?