Who are you when you’re alone?  When you think about it, you are your authentic self when you’re by yourself. You don’t bother putting on the masks, labels, or armor you feel you need to wear around others to be accepted. Unfortunately, somewhere along your journey into adulthood, you decided you weren’t worthy of being seen as you authentically are.  

Whatever your age, the armor or masks you wear are as personalized and unique as each of your vulnerabilities, uneasiness, or hurt you’re trying to diminish.  As the ego instilled fear into you as you grew up, you felt you needed to hide your true nature to be accepted.  Yet, most of us talk about wanting people to be who they are, authentic, and their unique selves.  This thought process is the paradox we all find ourselves. 

If you are wearing a mask or taking on roles to fit in, you end up feeling alone and disconnected from others. You are a fantastic individual.  But if you’re hiding behind the armor and masks the ego said were needed to be accepted, then no one else will see how wonderful you are.

I’d forgotten who I was as I began my healing from my childhood trauma.  But I discovered that there’s inherent freedom in being myself.  I didn’t have to figure out which mask to wear.  As I took the journey back to Spirit, I learned to accept my authentic self. So here are the ways you, too, can be yourself. 

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

See The Value of Being Yourself

Celebrate who you are, the personality quirks, and the strengths of your character. 

Then accept yourself, the areas you like, and those parts you don’t. When you do, many things happen.  First, you become empowered because you show you recognize your path differs from other people’s. Second, you become free because you realize your missteps are part of the journey. Finally, you become happy when you accept yourself, as all happiness comes from within. 

No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.  ~ Buckminster Fuller

Discover Who You Authentically Are

The way to find out who you are is to spend time with yourself.  Yes, alone time, with no one else.  Get quiet so you can hear the whispers of your soul so you can uncover who you are instead of who you think you’re supposed to be.   

As you determine what being yourself means to you, you’ll notice facets of your being that are complex and rare.  Your differences are what is unique about you.  As you discover these separate parts of your being, you will find some characteristics you like and those parts you would like to change.   

Find out who you are and do it on purpose.  ~ Dolly Parton

Stop People Pleasing

If you’re afraid to say no to others, you lose time for what you want to do.  When you spend your time trying to please others, you lose sight of the personal boundaries you need to have in place, so there is time for you to take care of yourself through self-care practices.

Yes, be considerate of others but be sure it’s not to the detriment to yourself. For example, if you are doing things but are resentful, then the assistance you are offering isn’t coming from a place of love.  Instead, you’re doing it because you’re afraid that if you don’t, the other person won’t like you.  Doing something because of fear isn’t the right action to take because you aren’t being yourself. 

If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.  ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To Be Yourself, Mind Your Own Business

What other people think about you isn’t any of your business, so stop worrying about it.  The other side of this coin is not to compare yourself to others. 

Everyone has struggled with comparison.  There are countless categories upon which you can compare yourself and an infinite number of people for comparison.  It is one of the significant causes of your unhappiness. You allow what others do to influence how you feel about yourself.  Comparison is an act of fear, the fear of being our authentic selves. 

Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.  ~ Judy Garland

The Inner Critic Is Not Your Authentic Self

The negative voice in your head isn’t you. It’s your egoic mind which yells, throughs tantrums, and makes all the self-loathing statements.  You are now aware of this voice, and it’s your job to challenge its declarations.  Just because the ego says it doesn’t mean it’s true.  

The inner monologues or the tapes you keep playing are the conditioning from your past, not the soul expressing itself.  So you need to change these harmful expressions into empowering and uplifting self-talk, which is more in line with your authenticity. 

If you can just be yourself, then you have to be original because there’s no one like you.  ~ Marc Newson

Be Compassionate To Yourself

Forgive yourself for the missteps you’ve taken, believing the egoic voices and the bad behaviors.  Let go of the past and consciously choose to focus on the present moment. The only place change can occur.   

Who you authentically are has always been present under the masks, labels, and armor.  Therefore, when you have a misstep, give yourself some compassion and know you will do better.

Some people say you are going the wrong way when it’s simply a way of your own.  ~ Angelina Jolie

Being Yourself Means Learning From Your Missteps

When you consciously and compassionately look at your missteps, you can see the lesson you are to learn. Next, ponder why you reacted to the condition as you did.  When you can do this, you release any negativity you associated with the circumstances and move forward with your dreams.  Because when you learn the lesson, you no longer need to have that experience and move to the next adventure.  All situations are meant for your soul’s growth and expansion, but you have to see the lesson.

When I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll be the pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.  ~ Picasso

Creatively Being Yourself

Remember when you were a child, those things you’d love to do?  Rediscover them. Why? Because when you recall how to express yourself creatively, you evoke your passionate side.  This creativity is your authenticity coming to the surface. 

As you learn to play again, you get into the magic of flow, where time stops.  This living in the moment is how you are supposed to live.  Watch a child under the age of six, and you will see a genuine being at peace with whom they are and enjoying all life gives them.

Children are splendid examples of authentic living because they aren’t trying to fit into a mold or mask to hide who they are. Instead, they show they are pure love and light, just like you are, under your labels and armor. So play all out, hold nothing of yourself back.  Show off your silly side and learn from these authentic beings.   

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?  ~ Kate McGarry

Quietly Be Yourself

You will find your peace when you are alone.  In your quiet time, you find your strength and your power. You will find the answers you are looking for in the silence because you will find all the solutions you seek within yourself.  

The time you have with yourself allows you to examine what is true for you.  Through this awareness, you become the observer of your thoughts and, in the quietness, can determine where they came from and if you need to unlearn them. In the stillness, you can let go of the limiting beliefs that hinder you from becoming all you are to be.   

Always be yourself. At the end of the day, that’s all you’ve really got; when you strip everything down, that’s all you’ve got, so always be yourself.  ~ Al Roker

Be Confidently Yourself

When you don’t know who you are, you have self-doubt and little self-esteem.  But when you are being yourself, self-assurance rises.  Own who you are, your strengths, and your weaknesses.  When you confidently show your vulnerable side, you release your attachment to those things about yourself that aren’t your best. Yes, it’s tough, but it’s the only way to find your tribe, those people who love and accept you as you are.

Sharing your feelings or personal stories with others builds your belief in yourself.  Communicate your truth with confidence and honesty while maintaining eye contact.  Focus on helping others understand who you authentically are.  When you believe in yourself, a skill you can learn, confidence increases in all areas of your life.

I find the best way to love someone is not to change them but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.  ~ Steve Maraboli

Listen To Your Heart’s Whispers

Following my heart wasn’t something I did for almost twenty years because of the ordeal of my childhood. Instead, I was doing what my ego thought was logical to keep me safe.  Whatever my gut instinct was or intuition I felt, it was ignored for a more rational resolution or to do what others wanted of me. 

Then I met my current husband, Phillip.  My egoic mind gave me an entire list of sound reasons not to marry him, but my soul kept whispering to me to follow my heart. So I did, and the result was transformational. 

Being in alignment with your soul and following your heart, you will always know what path to take, because you find all the answers you ever look for within yourself. When you suppress your true nature to fit in, you become miserable. So, listen to your intuition because it’s your soul speaking to you. 

To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are. ~ Roy T. Bennett

Moving Forward Being Yourself

You were created as a unique individual with many facets to your being.  Your experiences differ from mine, and you have your own talents.  Therefore, you should never try to be something you’re not or go against your authentic self to feel accepted. 

There are people out there who want to know and love you as you are, flaws and all.  Love and respect yourself enough to find them and be authentically you instead of sacrificing yourself to fit in.

Being yourself means you like who you are. As a result, you enjoy your own company.  So authentic living means you live your life how you want to regardless of what other people think.  Being yourself means you respect yourself and know you are worthy, just as you are.  This self-love is true empowerment which allows you to live the life of your dreams. 

No one else can be you, and you don’t want to be a copy of someone else.  So in a world where you are told you can be anything, be yourself. 

Don’t let others box you into their idea of what they think you should be. A confined identity is a miserable way to exist. Be you and live free. Trust that in living true to yourself, you will attract people that support and love you, just as you are.  ~ Jaeda DeWalt

Do you need support to help you be yourself?  Do you want a strategy to help you overcome the ego’s limiting beliefs and live a successful life? If so, please reach out to me at TerriKozlowski.com, and we can put together an action plan for you to create the life you desire.

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Article Name

Here is How To Take Off The Masks To Authentically Be Yourself

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As I took the journey back to Spirit, I had to accept my authentic self, and you can learn to be yourself by taking off the masks you wear.

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Terri Kozlowski

Publisher Name

Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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