Last week, an author that I follow found himself in a Twitter fire storm when his supporters condemned him for posting a blog about his thoughts on the presidential election. Half of his followers told him to "stick to philosophy" and others praised his bravery for "finally" speaking out. It was a friendly reminder that no matter what you do, you may upset people when you show up as your true self - and that's
okay.
"Be yourself"
"Do what makes you happy"
"The world needs more of you in it"
Those are the types of positive quotes we like to double tap on Instagram but how many of us actually follow this advice in our daily lives? Have you ever shown up to work, school, or family events as a different version of yourself just to make everyone / someone else...happy?
I'll admit, until recently, I did this A LOT. I would show up as a watered down version of myself to reduce the chance of ruffling feathers or making others uncomfortable. I found myself silencing my ideas, opinions and interests just to avoid upsetting others.
The reality is, none of us should silence our voices or personalities to appease others. , that doesn't mean you should walk around like you know everything or that only your opinion matters. It just means that you're willing to show yourself the same compassion that you show others. It means that it's okay to vocalize your opinion if it's different than your parents. It means showing up with all your weird and goofy
quirks.
I know it's easier said than done, but the world needs you - the real you. All of you. This won't change over night but the first step is committing to being your full self in all your interactions. And step two is just taking it one day at a time.
