It might be hard for you to believe, but I haven’t always lived 100% authentically.
There was a time where I based many of my actions and beliefs on other people – what they want from me, what they think of me, and making them happy. I didn’t have the confidence to stand up for myself. I knew many times in my heart something wasn’t right, but I would stay silent.
I’ve come so far since that season of my life. I can honestly say that I’ve created a truly authentic life for myself in the last three years or so. I’m certainly not perfect, and I’ll keep making mistakes from time to time, but it’s so freeing to be living for myself.
So today, I’m telling you how to stay true to yourself no matter what life throws your way.
Own Your Actions
Now that I’m at a point where I’m living for myself and independent of anyone else, I feel empowered by the fact that my choices are my own. Whether they’re great choices or not-so-great ones – trust me, I make those, too – my actions are my own.
When you’re making choices for yourself, and you’re not worrying about what’s right and what’s wrong, it’s freeing. If you can say “forget it” to other people’s opinions and instead focus on what feels good and right in your heart and mind, you’ll stay true to yourself and find confidence in your choices.
Make Your Own Mistakes
When I base my actions on what I want to do and what matters to me, I get it right nine times out of ten. But you know what? When I do make a mistake, I learn from it. I grow from it. I own it.
It’s not hard for me to apologize when I make mistakes, either. When I stay true to myself and make choices based on what feels right to me, it’s easy to say “sorry” if something doesn’t go right. I know in my heart I was doing my best. It’s a lot harder to apologize when you’ve made a mistake based on someone else’s opinions.
And I find a lot of comfort in the fact that the mistake was my own doing. I won’t make that mistake twice because I’ve learned my lesson.
Stay True to Yourself in Your Decisions
It doesn’t matter how great your life is or how happy you are. Life will throw you curveballs. The universe has sent me so many situations and scenarios that I wasn’t prepared to handle. I’ve done my best to handle every one of them, and maybe some people would have done things differently. But I don’t regret any of my decisions I’ve made since the day I started living for myself.
I don’t regret leaving a toxic relationship. I don’t regret making choices that helped me create the best life for myself. Now, I accept nothing less than what I deserve. It’s satisfying to know that I’m living this life for me, by my rules, the way I want.
Learn As You Go
Look, it’s taken me a long time to get here, staying true to myself and living my truth. It hasn’t been an easy path. I’ve taken steps forward as well as many steps back. But man, is it good to be here. And you know what? I’m still learning as I go.
Staying true to yourself and living authentically means making the best life you can for yourself and navigating the bumps in the road. Take each experience and learn from it. See where you’ve gone right, maybe where you’ve gone wrong, and figure out where to go next.
When you’re living your life for yourself, you know that in the end, things will always work out. Life might not be perfect, but standing up for yourself and making choices for you will let things work out the way they’re supposed to.
Conclusion
Staying true to yourself isn’t always easy. I know that as well as anyone. But you need to know that staying true to yourself will always create the best path forward in your life. And when life does throw you those curveballs, hold tight to the fact that your best decisions are the best for you. No matter what their outcome, it’s your life – own it.
Live your best life,
Michelle