Just Be You!
I just want to be, The Inner Peace Guy.
This is an authentic desire for me and feels completely natural when I express it. Especially when I do so while revealing my unique quirks, insights, humor, urban twang, all with a calm, steady and understanding presence. As I do this, I am unconsciously giving others the inspiration, if not permission to do the same.
Helping others find the peaceful place within themselves and helping them develop strategies for easily accessing the practices, exercises, habits, life strategies and mindset shifts to attain inner peace consistently is how I most joyfully express myself to the world.
I have come across the concept of authenticity, purpose and meaning as it relates to happiness quite a few times over the past month. It strikes me as a fitting theme, in helping us move into deeper levels of fulfilment and ultimately the inner peace that comes from the freedom of us being ourselves.
What is it that you want to be?
What is it that makes you feel most alive?
What are the activities that you want to be devoting your energy into every day?
What is it that most makes you feel on purpose and infuses your life with meaning?
What inspires you to share your deepest most authentic self with the world? Please don’t say, “a shot of tequila.”
You may have just happened to stumble upon this blog accidentally and if so, thank GOD! Because for everyone on the planet these may be the most consequential questions you ever ask yourself. Moreover, your answers to these questions and the actions you take to support those answers could very well determine the overall level of satisfaction you experience in your life for years to come.
First of all, I want to personally give you permission to immediately open up and simply be YOU! Even if your parents, your family and friends, your spouse, your co-workers and everyone else you have encountered on your life path has denied you this essential right. I now, hereby grant you full permission to completely relax and simply be yourself. Your authentic self is now and forever set free! Blemishes, warts, quirks and all! Here is a secret. Though it may have not occurred to you before they never really had the power to deny you this essential need anyway. Only you, have possessed this power all along. Kind of sounds like a scene from The Wizard of Oz doesn’t? Well, let’s just acknowledge genius wherever we can.
I have witnessed the elevated levels of performance, joy, inner peace, sense of purpose and meaning that people experience when they actively express their authentic selves through their work, in their relationships, in their creative pursuits and even in their hobbies. Simply put the more you accept yourself for who you are and the more time you develop the confidence in your true self and express it, the more happy you ultimately are. Subsequently, the more inner peace you will naturally and effortlessly experience.
Have you ever “lost yourself” in a relationship because you felt you had to change something about yourself for the other person to accept you or love you more? Have you ever taken on a career or job to satisfy someone else’s vision of what you were supposed to be in your life? Have you changed a major project or creative pursuit to gain wide spread appeal? If you answered yes to any of these, have you ever ended up feeling empty inside, unfulfilled, disgruntled or lost because you chose this path? If so, you are not alone. Most of us have had this experience in one form or another. Its okay, just chalked it up to life experience and another building block in your development toward becoming your most peaceful, joyous, purpose driven, authentic self.
This isn’t just a concept for fulfillment of your life purpose. This is a practical strategy for better performance in every area of your life. Writing a paper or report? Write it as only you can from your unique perspective. Giving a lecture? Just be yourself and let your personality and zaniness (or seriousness) shine forth. Volunteering to coach your kid’s sports team? Let your own experiences guide you. This doesn’t mean you should not illicit help in perfecting your craft and growing in your ability to perform. It only means that as you gain these valuable insights from bosses, mentors, instructors and others giving you feedback don’t let their feedback send you down a path of you becoming someone other than yourself in your quest for success. Rather weave their input into your own style, personality and uniqueness.
Have the courage to be you and you’ll feel better, perform better achieve greater levels of success and be more aligned with your true purpose and meaning which ironically is for you to simply…
Just be you!
Namaste
Eric
