It’s hard to live life without a sense of who you are. When going through situations without any sense of direction or standard to live by, you can become vulnerable to what other people say.
The more you understand who you are as a person, and what you want, the easier it is to maneuver life. Without having a sense of self and knowing what you believe in or what you want, you are left to the whims of everyone else’s opinions of you and their ideas about what life should look like for you. You end up giving them the power to define you, and this often leaves you feeling frustrated. If you don’t follow their advice, will they be mad? If you do follow their advice, will you be happy?
Often, without an idea about who we are, we accept the version of ourselves that other people create. This can leave us feeling dissatisfied with our lives as we struggle to fit into a mold we were not created to fit in. It’s like trying to stuff your size 8 foot into a size 6 shoe. It just doesn’t fit right.
How do we figure out who we are and what we want?
1. Define your beliefs and values. Beliefs are convictions you accept to be true. Values are standards of behavior about what is important in life to you. This is the compass you will use to live your life the way you want. Where are your values and beliefs coming from? Are you living life based on what someone else believes or based on what you believe?
2. Decide what type of person you want to be. Who are you right now? Not the version others have created for you, but your true self? Do you limit the real you from showing because you’re afraid of what others may think? Define your likes and dislikes. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What goals do you have for yourself?
3. Take responsibility for your life. Stop letting others define what you should be or what you should do. What makes you happy? If money wasn’t a factor, what would you do? If you couldn’t fail, what would you do? Create goals to achieve what you want to do and start working toward that.
Strive to understand who you are and be content with whoever that person is. If you can do that, you’ll begin to understand your worth and what you contribute to this world. You can define your limitations and not beat yourself up for what you are unable to be or do.
If you are struggling with figuring out who you are, I wrote a post with questions you can ask yourself to rediscover who you really are. You can read it here. Remember, you were created as you are for a reason. You waste time when you try to be someone you’re not. Stand tall and be proud.
