Someone You're Not

Do you ever feel that other people want you to be someone whom you are not?

They want you to believe what they believe.

They want you to think what they think.

They want you to feel what they feel.

And if you don’t, they label you, ridicule you, and perhaps even express dislike, disgust, or disdain for you.

What do you do?

Do you change yourself to please others?

Do you try to believe like them to fit in?

Do you try to be what they expect you to be?

Do you be someone whom you are not?

Do you keep silent?

Do you keep everything inside you?

Do you try to walk a thin line, playing both sides?

Do you take the risks of speaking your truth?

If you were to look back on it, what would you be glad to have done?

I don’t have the answers.

Except that you cannot please anyone outside yourself.

You cannot know who will be offended or hurt.

Especially when there is limited communication.

You can’t foretell how others react.

Even so, everyone is responsible for our own emotions and reactions.

It’s never about the other person.

I think it’s okay to just choose the path that feels better.

The one with least trouble.

What is worth it to me?

If I am not me, I attract other people who are not themselves either.

And then we have nothing truthful to base a friendship on.

I tend to think that the more I am myself, the more I fulfill my purpose on earth.

I think it feels best to be authentic.

To be myself.

And then I attract my kindred spirits.

My people.

I attract people who share and delight in the things that excite us both.

We have a real-ness.

A foundation.

It is also quite freeing to be who you are.

It’s funny that this is even an option.

But a lot of people are not living true to themselves.

That can be painful.

It is hard to let go of others’ expectations and get out of their box for you.

But sometimes becoming free means you get to breathe again.

A breath of fresh air.

A new life.

A taste of freedom.

How can someone love the real you, if you don’t show them who you are?

Begin by discovering who you are.

And loving who you are.

And accepting who you are.

And you will experience true love.

Unconditional love.