Has anyone told you that being different is probably your biggest asset? The truth is, I didn’t get the memo.

A long, long, long time ago, way back when I had more hair, I remember struggling because I hated being different. Believe it or not, I was a nerdy, shy, introvert who loved playing Nintendo while listening to the soothing sounds of Slayer. The perfect child, right?

Sure, I had my gang of nerdy friends, but somehow I got this stupid idea that in order to succeed I needed to go with the flow and be more like the crowd (boy, was I fucking wrong).

For once I wanted to be liked, popular and accepted. So what did I do? I hid my personality and I tried to become someone else. For about 20 years I wore a mask that kept me safe from rejection and criticism.

Yes, I was one of the guys.

But at what cost?

Sure, I went to parties (rarely danced though), I commented on the latest trends, I followed the money trail, I commented on same stupid things, and I did what everyone else thought I should do with my life. The result was that I became depressed and frustrated with my directionless existence, and both my body and my soul knew it.

It wasn’t until I decided to be myself that I began to see the results that I wanted.

¿So what does it mean to be “yourself”?

To me, being yourself is….

…knowing who you are.

…knowing exactly what you want.

…knowing your core values.

…understanding your likes and dislikes.

…making your own damn decisions.

…expressing your own passions.

…taking full responsibility for your life.

…picking and choosing who or what goes or stays.

…loving and accepting who you really are.

Let me make something very clear here: if you’re an asshole, please DO NOT BECOME A BIGGER ONE. Being yourself is learning to be a better version of you. It means learning when to say no or when to ignore the things that just don’t matter. In this case, being a bigger dick won’t turn you into a porn star, so be a better human instead.

Do you really wanna live inside someone else’s shoes? Are you willing to let others think for you? Isn’t it time to cut the umbilical cord, again? Growth only happens when you move outside the known, and the part of the unknown is getting to rediscover and appreciate your unique skills, knowledge and personality.

Loving yourself is about looking into the mirror and saying, “hey motherfucker! ¡Yea you! You are fucking awesome! Now let’s go and make this shit happen.” Then watch how the magic starts to sprinkle the good stuff in every area of your life.

Take time to be with alone with your thoughts (god knows there’s too much noise around). Get to know yourself (again) and turn your weaknesses into strengths, and your strengths into the life that you’ve always wanted to have.

Juancho

Juantemotiva.com