Just Be Yourself

Image Credit - Andy Claire Fleming

“There's no alternative to being yourself. Accept it, honour it, value it - and get on with it.” 
~ Rasheed Ogunlaru

The quote this morning is the "no nonsense" breakdown of Cheerful Acceptance. And sometimes that is what we need.  It is great to write tons of lines and stories about how to do it and take five minutes here and do this for five minutes there and I am not sharing today to devalue on of my own past reflections.  However, if life has taught me anything, it is that sometimes we just need to hear the unfiltered...truth.

"There is no alternative to being yourself"... which means any time we try to be anything but our true self, we are going against nature...being unnatural.  And that never feels right.  I think back when I have seen someone who is far more flexible than I perform some feat of dexterity...and my first response is that is unnatural.  For me, it feels uncomfortable (even though I am not doing it), because it is not who I am...for them it is completely natural.  The most important part of this little reflection is how I feel when I see the feat performed... I feel uncomfortable...  Well the reality is, that everyday we spend trying to hide our weaknesses and strengths (yes, there are people who do hide/deny their strengths too...are you one of them?  I bet you know someone who is...) we are being unnatural...and it takes its toll on us...Maybe it is a little more stress, perhaps it is an uneasy feeling....maybe we don't sleep as well...or we deny ourselves proper nutrition...  It can manifest in a myriad of ways.  But to be sure, when we are choosing the alternative to being ourselves. it affects us.

And that brings us to the next part of the of the quote....the solution..plain and simple.  "Accept it, honour it, value it"....  This is the root of Cheerful Acceptance.....accept who you are....all of who you are.  Honor what uniqueness you have to offer the world and value all the parts of you, for without them, you would cease to be you.

And finally, "Get on with it."  This is the action.  Do it now....Don't wait!  The world won't wait for you.  Even moment you spend denying your true self is a day lost.  What actions can you take today to bring more Cheerful Acceptance into your life?  What parts of you have you been hiding?  How can you accept, honor and value yourself today?