Twitter really had me waxing poetic last week. I was trying so hard to tweet the core of this blog post and it wasn’t working out too well. Just look at this tweet…
❝ you cannot soar if you’re ashamed of your armpits…❞ ✿ accept yourself and others will follow ✿
— Kola Olaosebikan (@BetaMotivation) June 19, 2012
oh that’s not all. take a look at this one…
i know i tweeted about self acceptance yesterday but take Osama and Hitler for example. shouldn’t sbdy have set their ashy butts straight?
— Kola Olaosebikan (@BetaMotivation) June 20, 2012
Seriously. How am I supposed to make sense in 140 characters? What I really wanted to say was this:
Don’t Put the Boot before the Bonnet…
I’m not an advocate for pretending to be something you’re not. But, all these neat little phrases people use to justify authenticity are leaving out a very important detail: being yourself comes with a voluptuous price tag.
It’s kind of like being a Christian. There are many good things that come with the territory. But there are also many hard slaps that come with the Christian life. What kind of Kola would I be if I told you about heaven but never mentioned the beatings that you will receive on the way there?
Just like being a Christian, being yourself will cost you something. So before prancing onto the “be yourself” train, ask yourself. Can you really afford the fare?
+~^#&@^&*!!
People that are quick to answer yes to this question tend to be people that have never really tried to be 100% authentic. No offense intended there but I have to call bull puckey when I see bull puckey. The people that are closest to being 100% authentic are either stinking rich (and therefore not reading this) or they are homeless (and therefore not reading this). Did you know Jesus was technically homeless?
To Do You? or Not to Do You?
Forget about being yourself. Instead, focus on being a stronger person. Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
- Invest in developing a will of steel. Once you’ve made a decision, move on unless there’s new information. Don’t sit there and re-make the decision in your mind 500 more times.
- Spend time learning the limits of your emotions and protect those limits fiercely.
- Read meaningful books and ask tough questions.
- If you’re a spiritual person, spend time connecting with God.
- Destroy your fears. (videos on this)
None of these things costs a dime but they form the foundation for a stronger mind. The best part is, when you develop emotional and spiritual strength, you will naturally evolve into being yourself. Phew!
