NormsMilfordBlog

Every now and then I go out and look for quotes about a theme that I might want to write about some day. Such was the case today when I decided to write about being yourself. Today’s headline come from a quote by famous inspirational trainer and speaker Zig Ziglar – “You will make a lousy anybody else, but you will be the best “you” in existence.”

So, that kicked off a whole series of quotes about being yourself that I found to be inspirational and I hope you do, too. I particularly liked this one as a starting point for thought and discussion – “Be what you are. This is the first step towards becoming better than you are.” – J. C. Hare & A. W. Hare. Too many of use try to be what we think someone else wants us to be, sometimes to fit in and sometimes because we think that is the key to success and sometimes just because we don’t yet like ourselves. The first step towards being the best you that you can be is to drop the mask and abandon the fake persona that you have been hiding behind.

It is likely that all of us want to improve and be a better person than we think we are right now. The first step is getting real about what and where you are now and perhaps the direction in which you are heading, which I wrote about yesterday (see Do you need to change direction) . About your current state and the direction that you are currently taking, a quote from Hardy D. Jackson seems appropriate – “Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”  Sometimes the “it” that quote is referring to your job, sometimes to the relationships that you are in right now or questionable friendships that you may have . If you look into your own heart and cannot see that they are right for you, then it might be time for a change. According to Carl Jung that pause to look into your heart is critical because, as he says – “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” So, look into your heart and awaken the real you.

As you are looking for, and awakening, the real you that is inside you, deep in your heart; maybe the words of Howard Thurman will help – “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Once you have looked inside and come alive the words of Dr. Suess will finally make sense to you – “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

Once you have freed your soul of the shackles of trying to be someone else or to be what you think someone else wants you to be, you are free to heed the advice of Parkenham Beatty –

“By your own soul, learn to live

And if men thwart you take no heed.

If men hate you have no care.

Sing your song, dream your dream,

Hope your hope and pray your prayer.”

 At that point you are well on your way to becoming the best you that you can be – the best you in existence. I think then you will find the words of Oprah Winfrey to be meaningful for you, too – “I was once afraid of people saying, “Who does she think she is?” Now I have the courage to stand and say, ‘This is who I am.’”

For those who seek guidance in the Bible, visit 1 Corinthians 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” Stand up proudly and say “this is who I am” and then be the best you in existence. You’ll feel better about yourself and others will start feeling good about you, too.I’d like to meet that person someday.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2017 at 3:09 pm and is filed under faith, Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.