Oscar Wilde once said (with his usual wit) “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” And it seems like we hear the statement “just be yourself” coming from every corner, so much it leaves us wondering what in the world that even means.
In fact, many of us act like someone we are not. And when you're not yourself, you change. You change who you are and what you are about. You change your thoughts and beliefs. You become someone who tries to please others instead of pleasing yourself. You become someone else, when in fact, you could just be yourself.
If you ever watch small children, you will notice just how free they are and how little they care about what other people think of them. They are happy and in the moment - They are their true natures. They have not yet been socialized to “fit in” to a society that squashes that. They don’t care if people think that they are silly while they dance in the front yard for all of the neighbors to see.
Being yourself makes happiness easier to obtain, and that by no means you are selfish and it doesn’t mean you don’t care about others. Being yourself means you like who you are. Being yourself means living life how you want to live it, regardless of other people’s opinions. It means you're respecting yourself, and you let go of all of the stories, labels, and judgments that we have placed upon ourselves. It is who we naturally are.. Without the masks and pretentiousness.
“Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.” —Beyoncé
