“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you into something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wow! Emerson said it better than I ever could. One of my biggest challenges is the task of living my life uniquely in a world that has created a more narrow version of what it wants me to be. I hesitate to even use the word task because it makes it sound like a chore to create a life that feels really good. It’s not a chore, but at times it can feel scary. When you are doing something outside of the box, stretching the boundaries, shifting the paradigms it can feel BIG.
I think that’s why Emerson called it an accomplishment. It is a big deal to live your life exactly the way you want it to be, to figure out who you are, what you want and follow that path despite the world’s opinions. That, my friend, is an accomplishment! It deserves to be celebrated!
I believe this is one of our basic human desires to live the life we are meant to live. We get to decide how we want to show up and express ourselves in this wonderful physical world. We get to define and refine all along the way! The Universe loves us so much that it allows us to express this passionate desire any way we want. I believe the Universe’s most precious desire for us is that we be ourselves. It wants us to be unique. It wants us to shine. It wants us to be us.
I have a good friend who says a lot…”I’m going to do me and you do you”. What he means is he is living the way he wants while he is giving others the space to live the way they want. I know when I take his advice and do me I am a happier Michele. I feel good about myself. I feel accomplished. I feel alive. Riding that good feeling wave is worth bucking the trends of the world!