To be comfortable with yourself, as yourself.
A list of reminders on why it's important to lean into your most authentic self (in case you forget why it matters edition).
You know that saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone;” well, I experienced a kind of opposite realisation recently. Yes, I lost something, and yes, it made me realise what I lost, but it’s also a loss that I’ve welcomed because what I found instead is myself—a more authentic version of myself.
It’s funny how life continues to teach you things you didn’t know you needed to learn. As I walk into new levels of myself, I am here to acknowledge the ‘self’ that I lost and the ‘self’ that I unexpectedly found.
I am.
I know what I had, what I am missing, and where I am. The version of myself that was is forever gone. But, I am more intrigued with the ‘self’ I’ve found, which couldn’t have happened without the ‘self’ I had to lose first. Are you following?
To find my way to my ‘self’ today required the 'self’ that came before, but it also demanded a recognition of what came before and what I’ve lost. Without either, the version of myself today wouldn’t have been possible. I only knew what I had until I moved beyond it, but while I reminisce and cherish parts of my old self, I am grateful that my past selves led me here—to where I am today.
To be comfortable in yourself as yourself.
It’s strange, isn’t it? To be comfortable in yourself as yourself, without apology, shame, guilt, or the need for validation, approval, praise, or accolades, is an earned privilege. What a phenomenon it is to be human that we can somehow lose ourselves in the time between now and when we were born. Even more wonder is how it can sometimes take a lifetime’s pursuit to find our way back home to our most authentic selves.
Why is it difficult to be ourselves? Why is it hard to allow ourselves to be ourselves? Why isn’t being ourselves something that comes naturally? Why weren’t we taught just to be? What were we taught instead?
In case I find myself teetering between myself and losing myself again, I don’t want to leave things to chance, so here’s a handful of wisdom I remind myself from time to time, especially when showing up as my most authentic self is being challenged:
