Be Yourself

Be Yourself

One of the remarkable things about observing the natural world is the degree to which creatures lack self-consciousness, in the sense of getting hung up about themselves. Everyone is different. No one is normal. The sooner you figure that out, the sooner you can get on with the business of becoming you. Not who your parents wanted you to be, not who your boss wishes you were, not who you think you are. But who you actually are. Don’t hide your true colors.

We have a neighbor who fosters three-legged dogs. It’s her thing. Sometimes we find her strolling the paths near where we live with a collection of dogs, all ambling along distinctly, and what always strikes me is their utter lack of self-pity. I haven’t lost a leg, but I’ve been through difficulties, and its harder for us not to compare ourselves, not to bemoan our fates. There is always going to be someone richer, someone smarter, someone more successful. In comparing ourselves to others, we will always feel superior or inferior, and neither is useful ultimately. So concentrate instead on really being you.

Robert Thurman says, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”