Have you ever reached a point in your life where you have felt a lack of purpose and ambition? Maybe you feel like you should conform to society to please others and fit in, yet it peeves you because you know you aren’t truly happy adopting the status quo. Eventually, you come across a community which brings you joy. Suddenly you feel understood and driven, justified to be exactly who you were created to be. You feel liberated to identify with a persona which feels completely natural, rather than just putting on a mask for society. This state of authentic living creates an environment of peace where you can be your true self. No longer do you feel a need to surround or occupy yourself with people or activities which do not align with YOUR vision. This is where your new life begins.
Being at peace with yourself is a satisfaction which I don’t think a lot of people find. In other words, your actions are carried out more so by personal fulfillment rather than always seeking to be a people pleaser. It’s important to realize there are different forms of selfish behaviors which can be viewed as beneficial or detrimental. Beneficial selfish behavior places your self-fulfillment first. Fill up your own cup before you fill up others. Taking care of yourself is how you can be of the best service and share your gifts with the world.
Taken too far, selfishness can be viewed as detrimental if you never share your light with those who are in the dark. Therefore, being of service to others, while at your best, is necessary to work together and make the world a better place. This is a difficult balance though. The struggle can reveal itself if you excessively place your attention on others and disregard your own well-being. This can result in feeling easily drained or anxious, and subjected to undesired stress. If you are so consumed in doing things to appease others a majority of the time, you prevent yourself from leading the most fulfilling life you could.
This is why you must notice and invest in what brings you positive energy, i.e. people, places, activities, whatever it is that inspires you! If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. Of course, take into consideration the pros and cons of the investment over time, weighing whether a hedonistic or eudaimonic approach is appropriate. But once you start building momentum of making choices that align with bringing you positive energy, you will start to feel this purposeful drive that lights you up and can feel so healing.
Along the way, you might try to confide in others to seek approval for what is in your best interest. Next time you find yourself doing so.. take a step back and analyze for yourself: Do YOU feel like the path you envision is right for you? Yes? Good, then YOU should do it. And OWN it. After all, no else knows you and your journey like you do. What makes you different is what makes humanity so beautiful because you are capable of sharing something the world needs. The greatest reward about arriving at this point in the journey is the sense of empowerment and intuition of feeling right where you are meant to be.
So don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs, is more people who have come alive. Follow your calling of what you were created to do. It may take some time to reach this point, but once you do, it will be refreshing and you’ll want others to experience it too. Don’t hold back and watch life pass you by, stay true and enjoy the ride. I promise it will be worth it.
Stay curious, stay creative, stay hungry, and stay strong.
#ThePursuitofAuthenticity
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