You probably hear it everywhere. "Be yourself".

"How do I impress this person?"

"Be yourself."

"How do I land this job?"

"Be yourself."

"How do I grow my followers?"

"Be yourself."

Such simple advice. I give it all the time. But it begs the question, HOW? Who EXACTLY are you?

I don't mean to send you into an existential spiral. This Love Note isn't intended to answer spirituality's questions of "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?". For now, let's just say we are the sum of our parts, and every experience we have helps us identify the whole.

Depending on how aware we are of those parts, "be yourself" may or may not be useful advice. It may even sound like fluff. But from experience, when we're genuinely being ourselves is when we shine the brightest.

The easiest, simplest way to be yourself is to do what you think is the RIGHT THING FOR YOU in the now moment. Become more aware of what feels good to you and what doesn't, then make choices accordingly.

Of course, that doesn't mean you have to be an arrogant asshole who is only concerned with their own good, even at the cost of others. But you also don't want to be a people pleaser who has no sense of self and gets lost in other people's needs, wants, and expectations.

We're social creatures and as such, need each other. But relating to others doesn't mean you have to compromise your own integrity. It's all about balance.

So many of us spend our days trying to live up to this image of who we think we should be instead of actually living life on our own terms. When you think about it, that is the craziest thing! Shouldn't life be enjoyed to the fullest? Most of us would probably agree that the pursuit of happiness is an inherent right.

That can look like...

• following your joy and passions
• respecting your needs and holding strong boundaries
• speaking your mind
• agreeing to do things because you genuinely want to, not to please others
• meaning what you say and saying what you mean
• shining your light and not dimming it for anyone

Trust that the more you step into your authenticity in this way, the more you'll succeed, enjoy life, and even have a positive impact on others.

So you do you boo.

There's so much more I could say but I want to keep this relatively short. Stay tuned, I'll be back on Monday with Part Two. We'll dive much deeper into this subject.