What Does It Mean To Be True To Yourself?

You may hear the term “to be true to yourself” but what exactly does that mean? Sometimes to unpack what it means “to be true to yourself” it may be easier to recognize what it means to NOT be true to yourself! I have learned some of these lessons the hard way. All because I didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or have confrontation for example. I would compromise my own needs to please another. Can you relate? I would do things I really didn’t want to do and not stand up for myself. By not saying something I am really dishonoring my needs. I would not say no or listen to my own intuition. I would people please or wonder what others thought of me. I would take on more then my share then be angry that no-one recognized what I did. I became victimized by these type of situations fearing rejection, disapproval and not being good enough.

Sometimes trying to be true to yourself masks itself with other things that look like you are determined and passionate. It can show up as perfectionism! You are running around trying your best to get everything done to the best of your ability yet you feel that you can’t keep up. Why? Because perfectionism is you giving yourself an unattainable goal to live up to leaving you feeling unsatisfied with all of your efforts. This does not leave very much room to live a well balanced fulfilled life. It keeps you stuck in a vicious cycle thinking you are making headway yet keep falling short.

So what it really means to be true to yourself is to listen to your God given intuition! This is one of the most common ways we are NOT true to ourselves because we can make excuses for why shouldn’t move in that direction. We don’t heed the warning of red flags rather we justify them. The reason we do this is because it takes work to be brave enough to face what is uncomfortable to address. However, think about the work it takes when we are “not being true to ourselves” by doing what we don’t want to do! Who suffers? Not them! You!

I cannot stress to you enough the gift you receive each time you love and honor yourself! You get the satisfaction of NOT being resentful, frustrated and worn out from not listening to what works for you. In the long run you do end up hurting yourself. What is crazy is you are the person you spend the most time with so why not listen to what it is you need? Part of the process of listening to yourself is being kind to yourself along the way. The mind will want to go back to what it knows but the effort on your end is to respect yourself enough to listen. It is so worth it because you will reap the benefits.

Living your most authentic life is what “being true to yourself” is all about! It requires you to encourage yourself to follow your own core values. This means you may be uncomfortable along the way. Don’t give up! You deserve to enjoy your life! The more you practice this the more comfortable you will get. Soon it will be a natural way of living and you will ask yourself “why didn’t I listen to myself sooner?” By us being who we are naturally meant to be serves everyone around us. They are not getting mixed messages rather we are sending clear direction on how to treat us. We teach those in our lives what to expect from us by respecting ourselves.

My hope is that you have a better understanding of what it means “to be true to yourself”. It is not just a phrase rather a way of living where we can have our needs met and live peacefully with ourselves. As you build on this over the years, you can find contentment within, knowing you are worthy of listening to what is important to you. This is a priceless gift you are giving to yourself and all of those who know you.

Something to think about:

Do I listen to what I want and need? Am I being true to myself?

Affirming thoughts:

I listen to to myself. I honor what is important to me. It is ok to set boundaries. I give myself permission to fulfill my needs. I am strong. It feels good to be true to myself. I am better off listening to myself then ignoring my feelings. I reap the benefits by being true to myself. I am deserving. Everything is working out to my highest and greatest good. To thine own self be true.