“Be who you are because everyone else is taken.”  I heard that quote and it is very profound.

Sometimes people may have a difficult time in being who they are.  The pressures of “fitting in”, status quo, or meeting certain man made specifications and “acceptable” personifications. The thing is you alone are enough.  You are unique.  God made you and you are important.  You have specific talents and abilities that the world and others need.  You are capable of making a positive difference by just being you and no one else.

There is another profound quote, “It is better to be disliked for who you are than loved for who you are not.  I think we have all experienced “fake” friends, and “fake” social corners.  To keep up with the “Jones'” or to try and operate at a level no one single human may be able to obtain will soon become exhausting.  It’s better to be you and look to improve upon who you are.  To bring out, develop, and refine those talents and abilities, rather than trying to be someone else.  Why would you want to be someone else?  You are amazing just for being you.  If the Creator of the universe says it, then it has to be true.

Be genuine, and authentic. Another profound quote is, “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”  Sometimes people don’t get the direct approach.  I am not saying be overly frank and rude.  However some people “beat around the bush” when being more direct and honest is more beneficial.  Or somone may have a tendency to over praise, and over compliment someone, when they don’t truly mean it.  They may even have an alternative motive.  I have found that more genuine people who live with integrity live a more successful and fulfilling life.  It’s always better to be authentic than fake.  Don’t apologize for who you are, or where you came from.  Each human being should be able to keep their head up and be proud of their accomplishments, and learn from their failures to be a better and authentic representation of themselves.  I am not speaking of arrogance.  I am speaking of confidence that they are a human being living life just like everyone else with their own set of challenges and obstacles to overcome.  I am an advocate of never judging a person, nor criticize them as they may have never walked in the other person’s shoes.  Authentic exhortation goes a very long way.

Take care of yourself, love yourself and help others. You are the only you that you have.  It is true about “YOLO”.  You indeed only live once and you only have one life to live.  It doesn’t mean you become reckless and irresponsible with your life.  However the world has a lot to offer, a lot to see and experience.    If you have loved ones and family members, there are a lot of lives you can make a positive impact and bless with your presence.  I strongly believe you live your life with passion, that you use the compass of principles, and you begin each day living on purpose.

Blessings,

DW