Self-Concept Thursday!

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“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” ~Harvey Fierstein

Raise your hand if you’ve ever talked yourself out of trying something new because it’s not what people expect from you? Maybe you didn’t want to deal with the extra attention? Perhaps you weren’t confident that you would like it, let alone anyone else. How about this one: have you ever been afraid to stop doing certain things because it’s not what people expect from you? Maybe you’re afraid to stop smoking or drinking or eating unhealthy food? What if that is all your friends do? If you change your behavior, will you still be accepted? I’m certain that we’ve all experienced this to some extent.

Today, I challenge you to give yourself room to grow. Be independent of people’s opinions! Learn to accept the feelings of embarrassment and awkardness that come with trying new things. It’s okay if you don’t get things right the first time. You don’t have to have all the answers. You learn with every new experience. Each experience enhances your awareness by giving you something new to draw upon.

As you increase your awareness, you open yourself up to new opportunities. Why should you hold yourself back from exploring everything about yourself because you are afraid of what people will think or say? Why should you deny yourself for anyone? The people who truly love you and are meant to stay in your life will stay. Don’t limit yourself to being what you have been. You owe it to yourself to embrace all that you have inside of you to become.

Have you been holding yourself back — afraid to change? Believe in yourself and take the labels off your mind. Start now!