“Be You” or “Be Your Authentic Self”
Cliché? Not at all.
“Just do you” and “It’s nobody’s business but yours” are phrases that we hear and, at best may be well intended but are grossly superficial. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t live in a world of raised eyebrows from followers mostly cut out of the same mold. I say, follow your heart!
If you strive to be your true self, you know the value of “following your heart.”
Although some may think that following your heart is the same as following your dream, they are very different.
Dreams are something outside of us that we aspire to be or have. I may have a dream of getting rich and living in a castle. I might dream of being a high-powered lawyer, CEO, or a movie star. I’ll admit, these aspirations are exciting, but they aren’t who we are.
Sometimes dreams can lead us to make some very unsavory choices. We may cut corners or end up stepping on a few folks to get to where we want to be.
Dreams, many times, come from wants and desires.
But when you follow your heart, your dreams come from a different place inside of us. That place inside of us is who we are at our core. When we are true to our core, our dreams are all about what’s most important to us,.
These dreams are more than wonderful. They are spectacular, joyful, and true to what and all about us. These dreams emerge from our authenticity.
When our true self ignites a dream, it can never be misguided.
“It is simple. By following your heart, you will find your fortune. Your dream matters not, as many dreams are driven by something other than one’s heart.”
“Oh, I see,” Elias said with no real conviction as he only heard half her message. Knowing he did not hear the truth in her words, she knew he would have to learn this on his own.
Nattymama speaking with Elias
The Amulet: Journey to Sirok, E.G. Kardos
Why is it difficult to follow your heart or live your truth?
It’s true –we’ve got to learn this all on our own, but this is why I think we tend to shy away from doing so for three reasons:
- Society—this is a big one. It’s not just parents or our family who may steer you away from being true to yourself, but society as a whole. We may experience peer pressure, what is deemed “acceptable” to a group, what others claim as “normal” or “fitting in” and it may be difficult to muster the courage to be authentic.
- Fear is often internal, but anxieties mount as we think about following our own path. Will we lose friends? Or will we be successful? How about, will we be happy? What does my future look like? If I’m successful, I have a whole set of new situations to address and am I ready for that?.
- Guilt—if we follow our heart, are we taking something away from someone else? Are we disappointing someone else by being true to ourselves? Maybe we begin to spend more time away from those who unintentionally pull us down. Or should we devote more time elsewhere and just give in and live a life the way that others think is best for us?
There are many questions to consider.
Social conditioning, fear, and guilt are strong forces to overcome. Sometimes, however, we hide our truth from others or even from ourselves. This is why it takes courage, a personal commitment, and a lot of time to make this journey.
Fiction and Our Journey
This is why I believe reading fiction should be part of our journey. Why? I remind myself that as a writer, the best prose written comes from “our truth”. The best fiction authors dig down to there core and find their “truth” and share it with the world.
We as readers benefit as the moments about which they write are full of color, emotion, and are real. We are there. The story is very human as we meet multi-dimensional characters. They are characters that could be you and me. That’s why the moment we read becomes our moment as if the book was written only for us.
Fiction gives us an opportunity to see other perspectives and helps us to interpret our own path. I see a real connection. Do you?
Not There Yet
I do my best to live my truth, but I’m not there yet, but it is the path I am on. So these are questions that guide me:
- In my own words, what am I like? What makes me who I am?
- What do I think about when I’m alone? What’s important to me?
- What is most important to me even if I don’t show it?
- What brings me joy?
- Lastly, what’s my definition of me?
These questions have nothing to do with how others perceive me—or you. When we commit to a life we know that deep down makes us who we are, living our truth comes naturally. We’re not always able to do this as we live in an overly complex world and one that may not always be open to what our humanity offers.
Think about it, humans decide what other humans should be. This is just deplorable. We have one chance at our lives and it isn’t for others to dictate who we are.
When we follow our hearts and live our truth, we are overcome by joy, and we live a more inspired life. Like I said, I’m working on it. That’s okay because recognizing this and moving forward the best I can is the only way.
Here’s a related post about being true to yourself.
What do you think?
About E.G. Kardos
I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write. Here’s more about me and my books.
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