The lesson I learned…
Fit in. Be like them.
Somewhere along the way, I learned that being me wasn’t good enough.
I didn’t think like the rest.
I didn’t quite fit the mold.
Instead of being true to me,
I folded,
for awhile.
I took on ideals, beliefs, values, and behaviors
that didn’t belong to me.
But only halfway,
which put me in conflict with myself.
I felt like an imposter,
in both skins.
My inner voice fell silent.
Confused about who I was supposed to be.
When you are trying to be someone you are not
you never feel comfortable.
You are playing a part
that you can never get quite right
because it’s not right.
It’s not you.
It’s painful to adopt ideals, viewpoints, lifestyles
when they disagree with who you really are.
It’s hard to spend time with those you are trying to emulate
because of the conflict raging inside of you,
that you are likely unaware of,
but is there, nonetheless.
All of this swirling around inside of me for years,
without my knowledge,
but feeling it with intensity.
Overcoming the lesson…
The first time I wrote down my core values, I understood why I had been unhappy for so long.
So much time spent living in direct conflict with my values
because I was trying to fit in instead of being me.
When you become true to yourself, you find your value.
You become comfortable in your own skin.
You are content to be the real you
and share the real you
no matter who you are with.
And, it allows you to accept others for who they are,
without judgment
because you want to share the gift
of authenticity,
and the freedom and happiness that comes with it.
What are your core values?
Are you living in alignment with them?
Or are you trying to fit in?
Do you feel comfortable in your own skin?
Until next time...
Michele