If You're Gonna Be True, You Gotta Be YOU

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." - Steve Jobs

It is said you cannot be an honest person if you tell a lie; no one will trust you. We see this in the story of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf." He wasted so much time fooling the townspeople into believing there was danger nearby when it wasn't there that when the danger finally did show up, no one trusted that he was telling the truth, and it cost all of them dearly, the boy included.

It is true that there is a breach of trust when telling lies to others. But what about the lies we tell ourselves? What about all the times we try to deny who we really are inside while attempting to make someone else happy? What about all the times we say what others want to hear while telling our own voice to be quiet? To remain silent? To just shut up and deal? What about all the times we try to convince ourselves that we will eventually "like" something for the sake of pleasing others when our hearts tell us what our minds refuse to admit: that we don't like it, we never liked it, and never will like it. ..? You cannot speak your voice while using someone else's words. You cannot be honest with yourself if you are speaking someone else's heart while denying your own. You cannot live very happily by saying what others want to hear all the time while denying the promptings within your own heart. It is a waste of your time, precious as it is, to struggle for the sake of living life on someone else's terms. What good is a life where you make others happy while creating your own misery? We are told that honesty is the best policy. Shouldn't that include honesty with yourself? Settling for less than what you want is a lie. As the saying goes, ask for what you want, or settle for what you get.

So long story short, if you want to be honest with everybody, start with yourself. And don't worry if there are people who disagree with you.  There are seven billion people on the planet. Not all of them will agree with you...but not all of them will disagree with you, either. You are not made for everybody, and everybody is not made for you, but that's okay. In the long run, it's better to be respected by people who know the real you than loved by people who don't.

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." - William Shakespeare

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." - Dr. Seuss

"Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got." - Janis Joplin

That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time remember:

Keep it simple....See ya!