Your heart is big, and you may have felt that it was in some way selfish to be yourself. You may have been taught to “be nice” and do for others and sometimes your needs can get put on the back burner. I like everyone to be happy, but…if you don’t know what makes YOU happy, eventually, this total focus on others can wear you out! I’ve learned that to be truly free, you must learn to be unapologetically you. Here are some of my best tips on being authentically you!
Aim to Do Things for You Once in a While
It can be tempting, when you are a nice and kind person, to want to do for others all of the time. Sometimes when we make this our focus we can lose our boundaries and wind up feeling unhappy. It’s good to balance our giving by building in some time each day or week to do something for ourselves. This way we can be filled up too!
Don’t Worry About How Others View You
It’s ok to care a little about how others think of us. I think this keeps us in check to some extent. What’s most important is that you approve of yourself and that you answer to your higher power, the universe, or God, whatever that may be for you. You should change if you want to and do the things that you feel called to do regardless of others’ opinions.
Get To Know Yourself
This may be one of the most important tips for living freely and fully. Spend time exploring what you like and don’t like, what you are good at and drawn to. We spend a lot of our lives, especially in the earlier years being conditioned to be a certain way and listening to what we are taught. At a certain point, it’s important to do our exploration into ourselves so we can move towards living the life we want to live!
Celebrate Your Uniqueness
We all have a little quirkiness to us! Not one of us is the same on purpose. God created us all unique and different and it’s healthy to learn how to appreciate and celebrate these unique qualities. After all, if we were all the same, life would be boring, right?
Be confident in Who You Are
It’s important to be confident in who you are. This comes from knowing yourself, practicing boundaries, trying things, doing hard things, and not comparing yourself to others. Walk with your head up high, and embrace your greatness!
Forgive Yourself
We all make mistakes. We are all grumpy sometimes and have bad days. This does not make us bad people. As long as you have the attitude to learn from your missteps and strive to be better each time, you will continue to grow. Forgive yourself and try to be less hard on yourself. We are all in this together learning and growing all of the time.
Be Positive
Be positive as you go through life. Find ways to affirm the good and look for the learning lessons in all that you do. Rather than focusing on what you didn’t do right, focus on what you did get right and what you’ve learned. Daily affirmations are great practice for affirming what you want to see more of in your experience.
Do What you Love
I believe everyone was born with a purpose and that purpose is natural and fulfilling for them. Strive to find what yours is and do with gusto! Life is meant to be enjoyed and doing what you love is a big part of your happiness and living freely.