18 Reasons to be Freakishly Awesome on Your Own Terms
by GG of All the Many Layers
“The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself.” ~Rita Mae Brown
Many of us will listen to anyone and anything other than our own intuition. When we’re not confident in our own self-direction, we allow ourselves to follow the whims of general opinion and what we think “they” want us to do.
This seems like the path of least resistance at first. It’s easier. There’s less conflict. But then the path narrows. And narrows some more. Soon we’re feeling smothered. It becomes the path of most resistance because we’re not doing what comes naturally and we can’t make any moves without somebody’s approval. This is not how we’re meant to live.
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Do you have ideas and philosophies that you are afraid to share? Have you ever tried to change yourself for a man, a group, or a job? Does your family disagree with how you live or decisions you’ve made? Have you ever tried to be something for someone and forgotten who you really are?
If you answered yes to any of these, I have to assume that deep down you want to be free of these limitations but you don’t know how. Well, any fear can be overcome and any mindset can be shifted if fueled with enough conviction.
As such, looky what I made for you. I put together a list of 18 compelling reasons to be shameless and uninhibited and passionate about living as authentically as possible.
{1} To gain a better understanding of what makes you tick so you can follow your bliss.
{2} To attract people in your life who love you for the real you.
{3} To attract opportunities based on what you are naturally good at.
{4} To inspire people around you to be themselves.
{5} To accept yourself, flaws and all, and therefore be more accepting of others.
{6} To be confident and not easily swayed.
{7} To be consistent and sincere – not showing different faces to different people.
{8} To be a leader.
{9} To be self-driven and create your own experiences.
{10}To free your mind up from limitations that aren’t real.
{11}To be independent.
{12} To reduce the impact of fear and anxiety in your life.
{13} To be brave and vulnerable.
{14} To be clear about what you truly want from life so you can receive it.
{15} To stop comparing yourself to others.
{16} To stop trying to explain yourself and start living the life you want.
{17} To serve. You can’t offer your gifts to the world if you are too busy hiding them.
{18} To honor God. You were made the way you are for a reason. By being true to yourself, you are honoring your Creator.
There was a time when I had it all wrong. I was an unhappy, confused adult for a long time because I was afraid to challenge the status quo. I compared myself to other people all the time and that’s how I determined my self-worth.
I’d think, “Well, at least I’m better off than this person” or “I’ll never have it all together like that person.” In my mind, “having it all together” was the key to confidence and success and pretty, shiny things. No one could be more surprised than me to find out that the real key to having those things is authenticity.
This realization taught me that the best thing I could do for myself was to start openly acknowledge how much I don’t have it all together.
I started blogging about my clumsy journey towards authentic living. And by that I mean I started sharing a whole bunch of my personal struggles online. Some might say that I share too much. But those aren’t the people I’m trying to reach.
One of the most important steps towards finding your voice is realizing that there is an audience that needs to hear from you. Yes, you.
Never mind the people who don’t get it. Show up for yourself and for those who do. Strive to feel good about yourself on your own terms. This is your life, your experience, your nitty gritty.
Nietzche says, “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”
