Thank You For Being You

There aren't really studies done on this topic but I'm willing to bet the majority of us never hear the phrase "thank you for being you". So many of us aren't even ourselves, we are just a variety of masks that we wear to please others. We wear a different mask for every person in our life. A majority of our masks are on a subconscious level. 

Let me give you a real-life example from my life. One day when I was a child, I called my mother by her name, to me, I was just imitating my father (something children do), he called my mother by her name, I heard him say it and I repeated it. To me it was an innocent act that I probably would have never thought twice about. The look on my father's face when I called my mother by her name, instantly told me I had "done something wrong", he immediately started yelling at me and told me to never ever call my mother by her name ever again and I am only ever allowed to call her mom.

That single event created a split in my mind, where I believed I couldn't be myself around my parents, I had to mask that part of myself. It got pushed down into my subconscious, and from there on out I was always wearing a mask, not only around my parents, but around every adult I encountered. I was constantly terrified of accidentally calling an adult by their name and getting in trouble. Eventually I forget about the memory on a conscious level, but it was still hidden in my subconscious manipulating my thoughts and actions. This single event isn't really that big of a deal, right? Actually, it is, anytime we stop being ourselves for anyone, we are suppressing ourselves, we are not being authentic, when we aren't authentically ourselves, we have enormous amounts of stress. Stress leads to all sorts of health issues.

We do this with every person we encounter, when we upset someone, we subconsciously try to avoid upsetting that person further, we do that by changing our own behavior and thinking. There have been studies that show we start doing this as toddlers. We will even lie to ourselves and change the reality of a situation just to avoid upsetting the "other" person. We humans tend to avoid unpleasant feelings or situations, so we often find it easier just to go along with whatever is happening instead of being authentic and possibly upsetting someone further. The truth is, the person getting upset, is the one holding on to issues from their past. We take them getting upset and believe that we are the cause of their being upset, in reality we are just triggering a memory of something inside of their psyche that they are suppressing.

We humans alter our behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs to appease "others" so often that a majority of us have absolutely no idea who we are. We all think we know who we are but if you really take time to question who you are, you won't be able to figure out which parts are you and which parts are you just trying to please "others". Authentic people tend to be worshipped and admired, deep down everyone knows that we aren't being authentic and when we see an authentic person, we idolize them because we wish we could just be authentic. We admire what we think we lack; we think we lack the ability to be authentic, so we worship that in "others". 

We aren't happy because we aren't authentic. Maybe you grew up in a religion, but you could never really relate to that religion, it just never felt right to you, you always felt out of place. You weren't allowed to even say any of those thoughts out loud, you can't question your religion or faith, "our family has been in this religion for generations, it's just who we are" but maybe that's not who you are, maybe another religion was meant for you, or no religion at all, but you never allowed yourself to even ask the question. Maybe you've been a "Christian" or a "Jew" or a "Muslim" or a "Buddhist" your entire life, it's part of your identity "who you are". Why is that your identity? Is it your identity because that's who you really are, or is it just because your family told you that is who you are?

You are real and you exist. You are normal and perfect. Deep, deep, down inside of all the layers of people pleasing masks, you are there waiting to be set free. Your authentic and true nature is within you, and it can be found. How do you find your authentic and true nature? How do you figure out who you are? Watch yourself, watch your behaviors, watch the things you say, and watch your emotions. The more you watch yourself, the more you'll see what behaviors, words, and emotions are coming from you, and which ones are coming from "others". How do you watch yourself? Meditate

The truth is, you are always being authentic all the time. You, wearing masks for the sake of "others" is simply what you are doing, it is what is happening, you can't be anyone but yourself. When you uncover who you are, your authentic true self, you see that is all you ever were. The illusion of not being your true self comes from believing what others have told you about who you are. You believe yourself to be a combination of everything that everyone has ever told you that you are. You are not who everyone else thinks you are, you are you, that is all you can and will ever be. You are perfect and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. No matter what is happening, no matter what anyone tells you, no matter what you've done, no matter what you're going to do, no matter how "broken" you are, no matter what you believe, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU and YOU ARE PERFECT!

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! The universe literally could not exist without you! I couldn't be sitting here writing this to you if you didn't exist, you are vitally important to this universe, whether you believe it or not. There is nothing wrong with you, you don't need to do anything you don't want to, and you don't need to change anything about yourself you don't want to, you are perfect the way you are. I LOVE YOU exactly how you are, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you, you are as the universe created you. I Love You and Peace Be With You!

You are a very special person. There is only one like you in the whole world. There's never been anyone exactly like you before, and there will never be again. Only you. - Fred Rogers