Be Yourself. No One Likes an Imitation

Stop trying to impress others with your own self-importance and accomplishments. It doesn’t work.

Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Just be yourself!

Do you ever feel nervous or apprehensive right before a performance, a speech, an interview, or a presentation? Has anyone ever told you, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Just be yourself!”

But no matter how hard you try, the moment you step onto the stage to perform, or stand in front of a microphone and open your mouth, your nerves get the better of you, and you end up being anything but yourself!

You’d think being yourself would be the easiest thing in the world. After all, you are you. So why is it so darn difficult?

The reason is simple: we worry about what other people think of us. That’s why we’re always trying to make a good impression. It’s ingrained in our psyche. We’ve grown up believing that approval from others matters. So we desperately want to impress—and when we don’t, we feel downright downhearted and depressed.

Overvaluing the opinions of others stems from a lack of self-worth. And when we lack self-worth, we develop an inferiority complex. This complex shows up as awkward feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.

To counter those feelings, we try to camouflage them by putting on an act to impress. But in the end, we fool no one but ourselves.

Our Ego Gets in the Way

The ego thrives on approval. It wants to be admired, acknowledged, and liked. But when you’re authentic, none of that is necessary. And ironically, that’s when you’re most magnetic. People can sense authenticity. They trust it.

No one likes an imitation. That’s why trying to impress others with your car, your clothes, your title, your performance, or your accomplishments never works. At best, you’ll attract superficial people who only want something from you.

Just Be Yourself

Look in the mirror. That’s you. This height, this weight, these imperfections. Accept yourself AS YOU ARE. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. If you feel like you do, it’s worth asking: for whom, and why?

When you understand yourself, whether others accept you or not becomes irrelevant. Eleanor Roosevelt said it best: “What other people think of me is none of my business.”

Let them think what they like. Let them say what they want. To value the thoughts and opinions of others over your own is to live in chains.

But to stand unshaken in your own truth is one of the most liberating experiences life can offer. And in that space of authenticity, you’ll find something far more precious than approval: freedom and peace.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. — Oscar Wilde

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Also, don’t forget to tune in each day for bursts of inspiration, like this:

For years, people have misunderstood me. I am a spiritual person, yet I don’t look the part. No malas. No flowing robes or mystical theatrics. No long hair or dreadlocks. I’m not fragile, over-sensitive, emotional or whimsical. Yet, whenever I’d speak about the intellect, I was met with blank stares, as if I’d just landed from another planet. And then I remember Emerson’s words: “To be great is to be misunderstood.”

You don’t have to have the app, you can simply go straight to The Elder Sage.

Till next time,

Be Well,

Meredith — The Elder Sage