The heart is the center of every human being. It symbolizes everything we are and everything that makes us who we are. It is our soul, our life force, and “the moral, emotional, spiritual and even the intellectual substance of a person” (Ancient Symbols). Unfortunately, we can become distracted and influenced by others which can steer us away from our true selves.
The quote, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it,” emphasizes the importance of staying true to yourself despite anything that might try to change your true self.
Why You Need to Protect Your True Self
There are many reasons why you should protect your true self throughout your life, including the following:
Allows You to Be Your Best Self
When you aren’t being true to yourself, you aren’t doing what you are meant to be doing. Being your true self means you are doing things that truly make you happy and satisfied at the end of the day.
Helps You Find Your Purpose
In addition, you can only find your passion and purpose if you are being honest with yourself about what you want in life. When you are acting in accordance with what someone else wants, it will be difficult to find your meaning.
Provides You with Better Relationships
Relationships are only good relationships if both parties are honest with one another. Being your true self means that you are being honest with others about who you are, what you believe, and what you want. This prevents problems in the future.
Makes Life Simpler
Finally, being your true self makes life easier because you are doing what makes you fulfilled and happy. When you live life the way you were intended to, you stop worrying so much about what other people think and only have one person to please: yourself.
How To Stay True to Yourself
Staying true to yourself isn’t difficult, but it also isn’t easy to avoid giving into influence. Here are four ways you can keep your true self intact:
Don’t Alter Your Beliefs for Others
We tend to want to please other people, and with that comes changing our beliefs to fit the beliefs of others. One way to stay true to yourself is to maintain your beliefs regardless of what others want you to believe. This doesn’t mean your beliefs will never change; rather, it means that you don’t let any one person dictate them other than yourself.
Do What You Want, Not What Others Want You To Do
Throughout life, you’ll encounter people who will expect things from you that you don’t want for yourself. Learning to follow your own expectations and desires can prevent you from living your life for someone else.
Choose Friends Who Like You for You
You should also choose friends who accept you the way that you are. Friends can be a big influence on your life, so making sure your friends don’t desire to change you can ensure you stay true to who you are.
Be Honest With Yourself
Lastly, it is important to remain honest with yourself about your passions, desires, wants, and needs. If you aren’t honest with yourself, you won’t live your life as it was meant to be lived.
Remember, our time here is limited. Spend your life being who you are meant to be, and you’ll find that your life gets easier, brighter, and happier overall.
