Be the smartest. Work the hardest. Show your passion. Smile more. Try harder. So and so can do it, why can’t you?
The list goes on and on and everyone has an opinion about how you should run your life…and let’s be perfectly honest, it’s exhausting and overwhelming! Because we are not all alike.
Plus, everyone finds it easier to critique other people than to reflect on their own actions and change. Now I could tell you that it’s easy…that you can just decide who you want to be and make a change. Hah! WRONGGGGGG! We all know that’s not how it works. But what does it mean to be #unique in this crazy world we all live in? And how do you do that while balancing everyone else’s expectations?
Here are some of the key steps I take to maintain my #senseofself.
Know your individual priorities: Set goals that matter and determine how the demands other people place on you align (or don’t) with the goals you’re trying to accomplish. Then prioritize your actions and ditch the things that don’t matter!
Communicate your point of view effectively to others: Don’t assume anyone knows what makes you tick…show them!
Learn about others’ point of view: This will help you relate to others and it will also force you to SLOW DOWN. Take the time to smell the roses, to listen to that extra song, to talk to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to.
Practice makes perfect: Try to incorporate at least one of these things into your life every day and before you know it, you’ll be a pro!
Taking these things into consideration enables you to broaden your perspective and more effectively communicate what is important to you, while asserting yourself as a unique individual. Having confidence in yourself makes it much more difficult for other people to break you down because confidence (not cockiness) is contagious…much like a smile. And when you have that confidence, you’ll also be able to manage the stress that comes from working in the world or managing an ever-increasing to-do list.
Before we sign off this week, I want to leave you with a video called Alike, which I stumbled across again this past week after seeing it for the first time nearly a year ago (it is also the inspiration for this post). It is a genius short which dives into the importance of cultivating creativity. Now, I am absolutely not saying you shouldn’t get a normal job or find ways to relate to other people, but rather, I’m saying you shouldn’t forget to look up and experience the world and show everyone what you’re made of.