Stay true to YOU...

So, I always close my post by saying, "stay positive, stay true to you"... 

My life has changed in so many ways... mostly for the good.  But there are times when I really struggle with what my life turned into versus what I had imagined it would be like when I was much younger.  But I am where I am in my life because I started many years ago to stay true to myself.  This isn't always easy and there has been pain and struggle but I can honestly say that I've learned (and am still learning) to honor myself, my values, my worth, and my talents and gifts.

But being authentically "you", can be a scary experience because that means living out the good parts of yourself but also accepting and dealing with the not-so-good things, too.  It means accepting that you are human, you make mistakes, and your actions will not always be approved of by others.  This can be very uncomfortable at first.  However, once you start doing this more and more, it will get easier and feel awesome!!!  

I met someone who reminded me so much of myself and who I was about 10 yrs ago.  This person seemed (and my perception could be wrong), to be living a life created by expectations he or someone else had created years ago.  Yet, he sometimes spoke and acted in ways that felt as if there was someone else inside of him fighting to get out -- which I sensed was the more authentic side of him.  For reasons I may never know, this seemed to be a struggle for him.  All I can say is that if you feel like you are holding back who you truly are, let that person out little by little and eventually, it will become second nature and you will be pleasantly surprised!!

Once you align with (and accept) all of who you are and who you truly want to be and start living it... it's an amazing experience.  It creates a sense of peace and authenticity that attracts more of what you truly want into your life.  It is an incredibly free feeling.

Don't live your life and try to live up to someone else's expectations of you, society's expectations of you, your parents, spouse's, or friend's expectations of you or even outdated expectations you have for yourself.  For many years I lived my life trying to be who I thought other people wanted or expected me to be.  It was pretty miserable. 

I am pretty true to myself these days.  But my life has not turned out as I had once envisioned...  at 47, I live in a small (but wonderful) apartment, I have 2 wonderful sons who are just turning into these amazing young men that make me wildly proud to be their mom, I'm about to be a grandmother for the first time (excited, but I'm not old enough to be a grandma! :-)  I've been single for going on four years and it has it's up sides and down sides.  Now this all sounds great and for the most part, it is.  But my vision many years ago would be that my sons would grow into adults and I would still be married and spending the empty nest years reconnecting with my husband, traveling, and kind of settling into my life a little more... our home would be paid off, we would be moving towards retirement... etc. etc.

So, as you can see, the vision versus the reality is quite different. This can be very uncomfortable at times.  But when I wake up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror, I know I am living my life according to my expectations and values.  I have a new vision for my life that is focused around creating and building stronger, better relationships and being with someone who is better matched to me and vice versa...  Just a few years back, I wanted to travel, make more money,  and have an amazing career.  I still want those things, but building better relationships is more my priority these days...

There are times when I still struggle with being authentically "me" because occasionally I still have that old vision of my life.  So, I work on trusting that I am where I am supposed to be and staying true to myself will bring more wonderful things my way...

“We may not know it, but most of us live to be remembered as someone else and not as who we truly are.”

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Being yourself is like showing your soul to the world, being somebody else is like showing your shadow in the dark.”

Stay positive,
Stay true to YOU!!

Sue