“ How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we’re not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?”
– Katie McGarry
Realizing who you truly are is self-realization, and it’s very important if we would go far in life. Your first obligation to yourself is to know and understand yourself and your inner world before you try to know and understand the world outside of you. Knowing yourself means knowing your thought and feelings, how they came about, and how they influence your behavior. It’s about understanding your needs, desires, beliefs, motivations, and values. Self-awareness is the ability to focus on our actions, thoughts, and emotions- It means knowing where our abilities and capacities end, where they begin and where the limits are. Knowing oneself is never about self-critism; neither is it about condemning yourself. The goal is to discover who you really are, what you are all about, and how true you are to yourself. The best thing that I have found to help get your self-talk sorted into a more positive dialogue is finding out who you really are. Career success begins with knowing yourself.
The truth is most times, some of us may be unaware of our deceptive practices due to not knowing our true identity. This is why self-observation is crucial because it helps you to understand yourself in a better way. Through better self-understanding, you are more able to take charge of your own life, and also have a better understanding of your physical and spiritual needs. Knowing yourself will also enable you to understand, admire, and respect who you are a lot more and learn to be your best self.
Being true is freedom. Being true to yourself means not worrying, pleasing other people, living by the standards and rules of others, and no longer living in fear of men. To be true, it is about living your life authentically, not faking it, or imposing it on yourself or meeting other people’s expectations. Truthfulness begins with knowing who you are and knowing your strengths, weakness, passions, limits, and goals in life. If you are true to yourself, it is worth it because you know that you are true to your values. Trying to be like someone else won’t fit you or allow you to be comfortable in your own skin, mainly because you were not meant to be like anyone else. Your conversation, disposition, and your interactions all get skewed when you are not operating in your own entity. People will find you awkward or even inefficient. You will find the same things to be true about yourself too. Let’s face it. You are the most authentic self when you are feeling and doing things that apply to you in your walk in this life. C.G. Jung once said, “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
Why knowing yourself and being true to who you are is necessary?
Striving to be someone else is something tiring and exhausting physically and mentally to the fullest degree. When you try to be something you are not, this is a sign of insecurity and will convince you’re a person who does not deserve to be appreciated.
Let’s explore a few reasons why knowing yourself and being true to yourself is important:
Being true to yourself is the first step to peace of mind and happiness
The best way to find happiness and peace of mind is to stay true to yourself. The power of staying true influences the power of happiness in our lives.
It will help you to attract the right people into your life
Most of us tend to connect with people who are similar to us or who have the same worldviews as us. When we are around people we feel are like us, it strengthens our identity, confirms our beliefs, and gives us a good feeling of ourselves. But when you pretend to be someone other than your true self, you end up attracting people who are not what you really want them to be and who are not what you are.
Being true to yourself makes you feel confident.
It takes courage to value being real over being liked. Most people who have self-distrust tend to conform more easily even though they don’t necessarily share the same beliefs or enjoy the same things all for the sake of being liked. The more you are focused on what someone else thinks of you, the more of a challenge it’s going to be to be genuine. But the truth is confident people don’t have the luxury of time and energy to impress other people.
Being true to yourself provides clarity
When you are honest with yourself, you will always know what you need to do, even if that is difficult. You will know who you indeed are, and it will become easier for you to decide on what you want to do with your life and how you want to do it. You will make wiser decisions about relationships and jobs, and will more immediately avoid those situations that don’t serve you.
Being true with yourself increases your chance of success in life
As Oprah said, “I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier. You can achieve so much more with your life if you stay true to who you are and no one else. By living your life the way you want it, without masquerading it to make yourself, you can let go of what you don’t need and live for yourself. If you’re going to be successful both in your personal relationships and your goal, you have to be true to yourself, and you have to be honest with other people.
False self-acknowledgment is something we all may be guilty of at some point in our lives. Don’t be ashamed of yourself; that’s how life has taught us to be. But remember, it’s never too late to be your true self. Though the journey is not always easy, I have found the habit well worth the effort.