Be yourself, all that you can.

There is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you", and I remember the first time that I saw it - it spoke VOLUMES to me.

[dramatised reaction but still pretty accurate...]

There was a time not so long ago when nothing that I did felt real; it didn't quite feel like me. I was in high school and because of my lack of social skills at the time, I was not popular nor did I connect well with anyone for long periods of time. This became an actual problem for me when it got to the point where I was just mirroring everyone that I hung out with at the time in the hopes that I would fit in somewhere and be part of something. I wanted so much to be part of something because I knew, in some strange intuitive way, that I had so much to offer.

I tried changing myself and the things I liked to fit the crowds that I joined, but it was all for nothing. Every. Single. Time. You know how it is, those moments of trying so hard to fit in but not succeeding? Well, try doing that everyday for about 3 years. Eventually, I just formed this bubble and protected myself because it seemed like the only logical thing to do, but it did not come without its fair share of me constantly second guessing myself and judging my own actions and thoughts, most times being self-disappointed [yes, it is a thing] because I thought my life would always be CARPE DIEM but instead it ended up being carpe (yes, we do bad jokes on this blog too).

I remember when it got to a point where I just did not feel anything like myself, and all this external pressure to fit in and be part of something just made it so much worse.

Then one day, after 3 years of altering myself to fit in, I read this quote by Emerson and immediately something in my soul just goes "KABLAM" and "PFFFFFFtttttt" - it was the sound of my desire to fit in imploding. All it took was one read of this quote to realise that I am built for a specific purpose; I am built to be someone special and make something special happen through the kind of personality and traits that I have. I realised that nothing about me is an accident, I am the way that I am BECAUSE there is greatness within me.

Once I cracked this code, it gradually became easier to be myself because I found that most of the love and acceptance I need comes from self, and with this I can have more trust in myself and my abilities. You see being ourselves is one of the greatest things we will ever do in this life because as each one of us is different, so too will we have an impact in the world. Think of the traits we have as superpowers, and when we use them, we use them in its entirety over and over so that we can make a difference in someone else's life. When we are constantly all of ourselves at any given point in time, we are creating better spaces for ourselves to learn and grow and we also allow other people to absorb our energy.

For me, being all of this version of myself is literally all I need at this moment because I know that there are people around me who need me to be this version so that they can get some kind of healing out of it. You see, at some point I realised that all of who I am is built around helping others and using myself as a catalyst to their healing - offering my insight and empathy to make them realise how important they are - and I am the most myself in the present.

[I am large healing potion]

I heal too, by helping them. That is my superpower and I use it everyday because who I am - and who you are - is who people need me and you to be.

Remember that you are the way that you are because you are built for a greater purpose, whatever that may be. Whenever you forget this, think about all the beautiful things you are, and then imagine the impact that you can have on someone - that is how superheroes change the world; they do it one person at a time!