How To Be Yourself (Explained)

1 Blog Post, 2 YouTube Videos, and a Paradox…

Introduction

The paradox about being yourself? You don’t know who you are, you only know who (you think) you’ve been; and you most certainly don’t know who you’ll become.  So why bother, then, with any of this “how to be yourself” stuff? Well, these words by Sydney Banks seem reason enough…

How To Be Yourself – Why 2 Videos, Then?

It’s true. I may be a little obsessed with “how to be yourself”.  Read my article on EzineArticles.com (2011), watch my video on YouTube (2013), and checkout another post on SMNash.com (2015) for examples of this obsession.

Unfortunately, I still don’t think I explained it properly.

So I set out to create a definitive guide to being yourself, a guide that subscribers of my e-zine would love to read. (After all, what could be more compelling than to finally understand what it means to “be yourself”?)

But the guide got very long, and very wordy.

So I decided to record a “how to be yourself” video, instead, and then recorded another video that was shorter and more spontaneous a day later.

And whilst the videos do a good job of explaining the mysteries (and necessities) behind being yourself:

• what being yourself looks like, what it doesn’t look like;
• why being yourself is nigh on impossible, and why it’s our default state; and
• how important being yourself is to living a contented, fulfilled and stimulating life

I still thought it necessary to write a few words of explanation to the videos below them.

Hence this blog post.

How To Be Yourself – Video #1 (Short Version)

I recorded this short how to be yourself video on Wed 29th October, a day after recording the somewhat mammoth ‘how to be yourself’ video #2 (see bottom). I recorded it because I wanted the key message to come across for those that maybe didn’t have enough patience to watch a 40 minute video, or those that got confused whilst watching video #2 (if you get confused watching this short vid., then I’m stuffed!).

I also wanted to record a less scripted video.

So the key message behind being yourself, then? Well, it’s summed up via this ‘being yourself’ inspirational quote…

“You’re under no obligation
to be the same person you
were five minutes ago.”
— Unknown

Yes, being yourself really is a tantalising proposition:

1. You don’t know who you are, just who you’ve been
2. So being yourself becomes ‘be who you think you should be’ (oops!)
3. You quite simply lack curiosity in the ultimate act of creativity you’re ever going to be involved in (the act of creating YOURSELF – double oops!)

Put simply, you just don’t know how to be yourself!

How To Be Yourself – Video #2 (LONG VERSION)

Via a series of being yourself inspirational quotes I explain, as exactly as my words in the moment allowed, how to be yourself.

In a single sentence (that I’ve bullet-pointed) I could sum up the being yourself advice thus:

• allow yourself to not know who you are
• feel your whole experience (and let that be okay)
• be curious, be self-aware (and develop your understanding of the inside-out nature of the human experience)
• stay open to this moment, and this one, and this one, and…
• let your ‘down’ moments guide you back to repeat the above steps

I even explain just why it’s SO IMPORTANT for you to be yourself in this life in the video – how any business, personal or health ‘problems’ simply drop away once you fully embrace what being yourself truly means.

How To Be Yourself Inspirational Quotes (As Used in the Video)

“Waking up to who you are
requires letting go
of who you imagine
yourself to be.”
– Alan Watts

(Spiritual mantra that’s on the money!)

“You are the only problem
you will ever have and
you are the only solution.”
– Bob Proctor

(Self-help mantra that just happens to be true!)

“It takes courage
to grow up
and become
who you really are.”
– e e cummings

(As much ‘courage’ as it takes to meet… this moment!)

CONCLUSION

Being yourself is a tantalising proposition. Put simply, it’s about opening yourself up to the unknown that comes from within you. And some of that ‘unknown’ you’ll love – others will, too – and some of it you won’t. It requires wanting to trust, rather than wanting to control. And you might not always enjoy this experience of you – fear of feeling foolish, anyone. But it is still you. ALL of you. Shine on!…

BEING YOURSELF: Some Next Steps…

How to be yourself, then. Hmm, I’ll list a few pointers to the truth of being yourself and leave it up to you what you do with them:

• You are a mystery, you really are
• You don’t know who you are, just who you’ve been
• And even ‘who you’ve been’ can change as perspective changes
• So trust more, fear less, and let yourself be curious
• And allow yourself to not know who you are