What Does It Mean to Be Yourself? 6 Signs
We live in the world which is full of idols, celebrities, and famous people. Such people are like stars on the earth because we can see them everywhere and at any time. Internet, TV, and Radio are full of their images, stories, speeches, etc. We do not even understand that such manifestation has a direct impact on our behavior and thoughts. We start to inherit their way of life including their manners and ideas that leads to destroying individuality. But individuality is indeed an important thing that distinguishes people from each other. In this case, “to be yourself” implements the idea of being not a similarity of some idol or celebrity.
Nevertheless, in contrast to the standards of beauty, glossy magazines, and even friends, your parents still advise you stop inheriting the famous person and be yourself. And you start pondering about this valuable but in fact completely incomprehensible advice. As a result, you are lost. What does it mean “to be yourself”? When people hear “you need to be yourself,” many of us sigh with relief and think: "Cool, I can do nothing. Do not strive. Do not learn anything. I was advised just to be yourself." But unfortunately, such position is fundamentally wrong. And now we are going to explain why it isn’t so easy as it seems.
Love Your Faults
Do not be reconciled! You need to love your faults. These are things that you cannot fix now or in the near future. Or maybe you do not want to fix it. Such faults can be related to your character, behavior or even appearance. Whether it is an excessive modesty while communicating with boys, nasty freckles on the nose (although we like them) or a small chest, you have to love these things! Otherwise, if you cannot reconcile with it, then nobody will treat you in an appropriate manner. Remember: only you are able to reveal yourself.
By the way here paper4college.com/blog/social-rejection, you can find even more fascinating articles about psychology and different useful tips.
Work on Yourself
There's always room for improvement. Nobody is perfect, and nobody can reach “ideal.” But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do anything because it is out of reach. Conversely, we need to get closer to perfection. Pay attention to the fact that this point follows from the previous one. If you want to change something in yourself, but you are not ready to reconcile with your faults - it's a high time to start working on yourself. The concepts of "being yourself" and "cultivating" do not exclude each other, but, on the contrary, they go in the complex and complement each other. In this regard, try to get rid of your faults or turn them into fortes. For instance, if you aren’t satisfied with your figure, go to the gym and reach your ideal. As you can see, everything depends on our choices and acts. Something can be easily changed, something is more complicated, and something is almost impossible. But to gain confidence in yourself, lose weight and improve academic performance – these things are achievable.
Do Not Inherit Idols
In order to love yourself and be yourself, you need to stop comparing yourself with Angelina Jolie and Madonna. They aren’t you. They have their own lives and their own problems, which are not shown to the community. And that is the right thing! Everybody has its own lives. You have to understand that no one can live life instead of you, and of course, you cannot live the others’ life. It isn’t surprising that while trying to adjust and look like someone who is your idol and saint, you lose yourself.
Gradually, you start losing your own thoughts and ideas that could lead to the loss of individuality. And this can be juxtaposed with the notion “be yourself.” But we have one pleasant thing for you. If you like the style of clothes which your idol wears, we allow you to take into consideration a couple of cool looks. But do not copy them! Just take into consideration and add your own elements.
Do Not Be Afraid to Differ from Mass
If everyone has decided to wear a new model of Nike sneakers, it does not mean that you have to wear them too. Sometimes we like things not because we really like them, but because everybody likes them. As you can understand, it refers not only to the clothes or shoes. We are talking about the collective feeling that triggers herd instinct. It means that everybody starts to feel and behave like a majority because of its pressure. And to be yourself means the ability to confront such instinct. Do not succumb to the majority – you have an own head on your shoulders.
Take an Independent Stand
Again, to agree with someone else's point of view is not a crime. To form and express an own point of view is an art that makes you a self-sufficient person. Expand your horizons and, perhaps, you will be so persuasive that friends will quote you, not the film critics. In this case, we’d like to emphasize that the reading is an essential element in formulating an own point of view as without enough stock of knowledge you won’t be able to support your ideas.
Therefore, it is significant to be able to become an essential part of any conversation. If you do not know how to do this and find some pieces of advice how to overcome this obstacle.
Recognize Your Bad Character Features
The advice “to be yourself" does not mean to forget about all norms and rules of behavior. Of course, we are not in the XIX century, and the ladies do not have to wait for the gentleman’s love confession - ladies can take the first step. And we wear what we want, express our point of view and even can say bad words. But the rules of behavior have not disappeared. So, do not be rude to the teacher, because you're so cool, or insult classmates for the same reason. Do not hide your nasty character because "I’ve just decided to be myself."