Who are you?

Do you find yourself second-guessing your behaviors?

Questioning your own thoughts?

I believe most people have some uncertainty about themselves. We borrow so many of our phrases—our thoughts—from other people, it can be hard to tell what is truly our own.

Especially in these days of social media—the deluge of faceless ideas and opinions all vying for our attention, all trying to worm their ways into our minds.

It can cause us to turn inward. Either to say nothing at all because we’re so uncertain of what we have to say or to constantly second guess and rethink and reflect on what we say and do.

In the worst cases, we begin examining ourselves compared to the faceless mob that we are surrounded by digitally, rather than seeing ourselves as individuals with thought-out and internally consistent beliefs.

We see ourselves only in our sameness or difference from the perceived norm.

Take a breather.

You are not all your thoughts and feelings and emotions.

Start to examine how your thoughts and words make you feel. Study yourself for signs of what feels right and what feels wrong to think or say. Try to separate yourself from the faceless mass and come back to your personal first principles.

Strangely, authenticity often comes from self-discovery. It’s observation that precedes it, not creation.

In short:

Authenticity is discovered, not created.

Give yourself the time to find it.

2021-07-04