Trust Yourself .. You Know More Than You Think You Do .. !!

"I know of nothing more valuable, when it comes to the all-important virtue of

authenticity, than simply being who you are .."

~ Charles Swindoll

What does it mean to be a person?  How do we become the best version of ourselves?  We first have to understand that every person is completely unique.  Your exact history, experience and perspective, along with your interests, skills, physical makeup, are like no one else's.  We, as human beings, are unique individuals and we must remain mindful of that fact as we live our lives. Your life is yours; mine life is mine, and so on for each each individual.   I have enjoyed taking my sociology classes as it has given me a greater understanding of not only myself but those around me.  

Another important aspect to remember is there is no set model or map of life for human beings.  Our futures are not strictly determined by our biology, our history, our culture or other factors that become a part of our life at birth.  We have options and, in most instances, the freedom to craft ourselves based on individual interests, skills and motivations.

In spite of these two truths, there are influences in life that make it difficult for us to act like individuals and to assume the personal responsibility necessary to freely develop our individuality.  Sometimes we do not stop to think about the needs and desires of our individual selves, sometimes we do not have the courage to life out our lives in a certain way and sometimes the influence of others is just too strong to let our individuality shine through.  We don't always act like the individuals we are.  We don't always direct our lives as responsibly as we could.  By not doing so, we don't really honor the completely unique life each of us has been given.

Authenticity does not mean that we shun all traditions, popular opinions, social customs or popular morality.  It doesn't mean throwing everything associated with other people away even though we may feel like it.  It also doesn't mean doing, believing, valuing and feeling the opposite of what is popular; when that misguided approach is taken, you're still taking your cues from what one does by simply doing the opposite.  Authenticity means seeing the many possibilities before us and choosing which to pursue by communicating with ourselves.  Often, there will be some overlap; you may find that some of the ideas that are popular around you truly resonate with you, or the career path others expect you to pursue is what you actually want for yourself.  But until you go through the process of checking in with yourself, you don't know if that is so.  Sometimes you will need to ask the advice of others as I have done and that is fine.  The key is not to let others drown our your internal dialogue in the process.  And I know this because ,,

I ride the dark horse ..

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