We’ve all heard the expression, be true to yourself, but what does it really mean? It seems that on the surface we are all being true to ourselves, but in reality that is not always the case.

The way we are raised and even our friends can affect the way we feel about everything in our lives, and some people weren’t instilled with enough self-confidence to literally be true to themselves. This makes the issue a little complicated sometimes. Let’s look at this phenomenon a little more closely.

What Does “Be True to Yourself” Mean?

When people say, be true to yourself, what exactly does this mean? Simply put, it means you need to be perfectly honest with yourself and determine your likes, dislikes, and the direction you want your life to take.

Many people are raised to obey certain rules, including going to college, getting a job, enjoying some hobbies, etc., but you have to decide if you really want to do these things.

If you ask yourself, am I doing what I really want to do with my life, and you feel any hesitation whatsoever, it might be because you’re headed in a direction that you don’t want to be headed.

If your dad is an accountant and you were pressured into the same career, you may be unhappy at work unless that’s what you also want.

The bottom line is that you owe it to yourself to do what you want in life. You can be good to people and treat them right and still ignore what they think you should do if it’s different than what you want. You deserve it, and being true to yourself means living by your own rules and not worrying about what anyone else thinks.

Is this difficult to do? Sometimes, it is. A good example is couples who decide they do not want to have children. Most people do end up having children at some point, but more and more couples are deciding against it for various reasons.

Let’s face it — it takes courage to tell people you do not plan to have children, but if a childless life is what you want, you owe it to yourself to stick to your decision.

How Can You Learn to Be True to Yourself?

Some people have trouble being true to themselves for numerous reasons, but there is an easy remedy for this. Here are a few tips to learn how to concentrate on what you want out of life:

1. Make Yourself a Priority

A lot of us were taught to put other people first, but when it comes to your happiness, what others think about what you should and shouldn’t do should be irrelevant. We have one life on this earth, and we all get 24 hours each day to work towards our goals.

You don’t have to be selfish when it comes to helping others, but you shouldn’t feel guilty for concentrating on the things that you want to accomplish.

2. Concentrate on Letting Go of Negativity

Negativity can wipe out your desire to move forward and accomplish the things you wish to do. If you mess up, learn from the mistake and move on from there.

Don’t let it paralyze you, and more importantly, never give up because of one setback. Everyone makes mistakes, but keeping your main goal in mind can help you move past the setback and keep working towards that goal.

3. Spend Time with Yourself and Learn

Meditation and writing in a journal are two ways to get to know yourself a little better, and you might be surprised by what you learn.

When you spend time alone with only your thoughts, things will come through that can help you decide exactly what it is that you want. If you already know what you want, it can give you ideas on how to get those things and your thoughts are rarely wrong.

4. Gain Control Over Your Life

Own up to what you want out of life so you can establish a feeling of control. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll feel more of a sense of control and this feeling is priceless.

Feeling in control sometimes takes time and doesn’t happen overnight, but if you concentrate on yourself and the things you want out of life, it becomes a lot easier. And you deserve it!

All of this adds up to one important fact: life is short, and you deserve to live your life the way you want to live it!

You might feel as though you owe certain people for their help along the way, but you don’t owe anyone your entire life. Start by writing down your likes and dislikes, interests, and the things you’re passionate about, and that should point you in the right direction.

You should also never limit yourself when it comes to what you want to do in life. Think about all of the celebrities out there who are actors or musicians. They all started with a dream and they never gave up on that dream. You deserve the very same.

Conclusion

If you want to be true to yourself, the first thing that you have to do is admit that you deserve to get what you want out of life.

Everyone has a dream, and you deserve to go after yours. You only have one shot at getting what you want while you’re on this side of the grave, and you deserve to do just that.