In a world filled with face-value content centered around accumulating likes, “To thine own self be true” is one prolific piece of advice.

Being true to yourself sounds easy, right? Maybe even a little selfish? Absolutely not! Being true to yourself is the best way to be of love and service to others. (stay with me here…)

Being true to yourself means living in alignment with your own values and ideals, not the values and ideals of others. If you aren’t being true to yourself, ultimately, you are living a lie. You are hiding who you truly are for the sake of someone or something outside of yourself. Doing this can be stress-inducing and fill you with a sense of shame, block you from growth, and stifle your self-confidence.

Unfortunately, it can be challenging to recognize when you’re not being true to yourself. Sometimes, you may feel unsettled, become a little snappy, impatient, or irritable, yet unable to identify why. Perhaps you get the itch to make a change, but feel lost about how or what. If you aren’t being true to yourself, then who are you being true to? If you are denying your true self, what message are you taking away from it?

Before you can even be true to yourself, you need to take the time to explore who you are, what you want and what the driving force is behind it all. Only then can you discern how to live authentically!