Do you change who you are based upon the people you’re around? Do you go along with what others want because you don’t want them to dislike you?
We talk about these areas a lot in relation to teenagers and peer pressure. But that type of pressure is just as prevalent in us as adults as it was when we were younger.
As a teenager it may have been smoking or drinking alcohol to fit in, but as adults we may shift who we are for someone to like us or even love us. We can even completely lose our sense of identity. One day we wake up and don’t recognize our lives. We begin to question how did we get here?
Or maybe the person that you shared your life with, showed you who they were. Brief glimpses, but you were in love and that was what mattered. It could have been a friend. You idealized who they were. You never saw who they really were.
There are so many reasons why. When we can finally see without the blinders there is a sense of shock. You try and process the information. You reveal what happened to your friends and family. Some will say they knew it all along. Is that helpful? Others will sit with you in the pain and move you forward.
The past month has been full of revelations. A sense of clarity. Maybe we aren’t as enlightened as we thought, but we can still resonate at a higher vibration. We can still move forward.
There have been truths coming out. We can’t ignore them anymore. Whether those truths are a part of our personal lives or something on a more global scale. Seemingly bad things can be revealed to us. The question is how do you respond? Do you react from an emotional standpoint? Or one that is well thought out. Those of us that speak from a reactionary place can cause damage whether we mean to or not. We aren’t speaking from a place that is for our highest good.
Take some time this week and those coming to think before you respond. What’s more important? Is it what someone else likes or that you like yourself? It can be hard to answer because we can desperately want both.
We must start somewhere. The most important thing is to love yourself. You can always find different friends or life partners, but you can never escape you. Value who you are. Treat yourself well. Don’t bend who you are to meet anyone else’s expectations. Loving yourself is the start of a better path forward and to all of life’s craziness.
Have you changed who you are for someone else? Let me know. Do you want to know more about what I do? Click here to book a discovery session or an appointment.