Why blindly 'being yourself' is terrible advice
I was wrong.
🙌🏼 hands up. I got it wrong. I read lots of books saying 'just be yourself'. And I bought into it.
But what does that even MEAN?! 😆 What if 'me' is anxious?
What if all I’ve known 'me' to be is sad, sarcastic, pessimistic, not confident, stressed, frustrated, angry? 🤯
What if what I know 'me' as doesn’t make me or others happy?
What then? This is the beauty of humans and life. We get to change. All the time.
Our bodies and cells die and we make new ones. Our bodies are ENTIRELY new every 7 years. All different. So why does it feel the same? Why do WE feel the same?
Because in the ability to choose and create something different, often we don’t. Our bodies replicate cells when they’re doing 'ok'. When they 'work'. Aka when you aren’t dead. But they might not be entirely healthy cells. Like your thoughts and stories about who you are and how life work are 'ok'... and they kept you alive and safe. But that’s all. They don't make you happy, free, joyful, able to take risks and leaps of faith and jump into big exciting lives! You have the opportunity in all the moments to choose a slightly different you. Trying on a new opinion. Testing a new thought out. Challenging a belief. Proving yourself wrong. You can do it in every moment. It’s the only way to find peace and happiness - by PLAYING with 'who I am'.
You aren’t your thoughts or your feelings (this is for another conversation, but just trust me on this).
They just happen and you follow them.
What if you could say, "actually, today I’m gonna do it different". I’m gonna drink tea not coffee, walk instead of taking the bus, and eat veggies instead of a sandwich for lunch? What if I smile at my boss instead of ignoring her? What if I took the stairs not the lift? What if I wore that sassy skirt, not the usual trousers? What if I asked for what I wanted, not wait and get disappointed when it doesn’t happen? What if I do something a little different? 🤔 Life is a playground! 🎠
You can play with it and fall and stumble and cry and get back up and try again and again. Having fun along the way 🤪 And like most fun, challenge and play, it’s better with others. Especially when it gets hard. I’d love to support in your play - message me to chat about how to find a version of you who you actually 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 being!