Being true to ourselves means accepting who we are. That means all of us, our failings, our faults and our strengths. It means looking at what talents we have and developing them to the best of our ability, using them out in the world so that our selves and others may prosper by them. It means being in integrity with who we are. Not trying to be ‘someone else’ because we feel ‘someone else’ is accepted better or will get more in the world than us. It means accepting that each of us is unique and that we have our own role to play in the world. It means the talents and attributes we have are what we need to fulfil the destiny we have chosen and not to covet someone else’s beauty, talents, riches or attributes because we perceive these as more important than our own. It means honouring us, respecting our talents and being grateful for all we are.
Being true to ourselves means knowing that we can always choose to be more than we limitedly think ourselves to be.
When I was a teenager and young woman I wanted to be beautiful not in my own way but in the way that was considered beautiful at the time and coloured very much by my Mother’s desire to have her only daughter as beautiful as herself. Beauty was measured as slim, blonde, demure, softly spoken and keeping my thoughts, intelligence and talents to myself. On no count did I match these attributes – not one! Trying to be what I was not only caused me enormous pain it meant I sabotaged my own gifts. I was not being true to myself. I was being true to a false god decided for me by someone who had fitted the model of their and society’s idea of beauty to a tee. Suddenly in my forties (a time when women start the process of coming into their real power) I decided I had simply had enough, it was time to be me. But who was me?
To be true to oneself means being willing to look at all of you – a 360 degree review if you like of who you are and what you have done. When you take stock like this it can be very confronting but it is necessary to get to the truth of who you are. When you have looked at all the ways you have self sabotaged and can forgive you then you are ready to begin the rebuilding of you. Not to be someone else but to be the ‘real truth of you’. My fear had always been that if others could see the real me they would not love me – and why did I have that fear? Oh that was simple! I did not love and accept me as I was.
Finally when I agreed to love and accept me – the real me – came forward into the world for all to see. How the world views me is no longer as important as how I view myself. Ironically when I let my true self expression in the world I decided I liked her ‘a whole lot more’ than the one I’d been trying to be! Furthermore the ‘world’ seemed to like her more as well. The more I stand up for her; protect, honour and love me the more I am protected, honoured and loved in the world.
So here I give thanks to Ol’ Bill Shakespeare, I think he was definitely on to something when he wrote ‘To thine own self be true.’ I’m glad I followed his advice. Why don’t you try it and see what happens to you?
I would love to hear your stories of how you became true to you, till next time bless-sings
