Be yourself! It’s a cliché. We’ve heard it time and time again. Does it really mean anything?
Apparently, being yourself is one of the key elements of what makes successful people successful. At least, that’s what the experts say. But it sounds a bit too simple and too vague, don’t you think? If you’re just as puzzled, perhaps it’s time to delve into it. Let’s peel off the layers of myth!
Before we take a moment to re-think about what these two short words mean, let me talk about my creative process first. I promise, I’ll be myself and keep it short.
As soon as I decided to write a post about this topic, interestingly, two things happened:
- Many opportunities started to present themselves; and
- Flow started to work its magic to bring the idea to the forefront.
In the process, I came to realize the closest thing to Be Yourself is: Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin.
As a starting point, I began to break it down word by word, piece by piece, just to look at the meaning in a more literal sense.
Astonishingly, it soon became quite clear to me why this phrase Be Comfortable In Your On Skin makes perfect sense. Whoever invented this idiom was either a pure genius or someone of great wit and intelligence. Here’s why…
Unarguably, the skin is the largest organ of the body. So, in this context it’s fair to say:
- Be comfortable in your own skin implies a full-scale, 100% self-acceptance. For me, it also applies to all aspects of physical and emotional beings in all stages of life.
If you’ve ever wondered where to start to be yourself, look no further than the depth of your skin!
Try this at home, in your office, anywhere you go: Love your skin, look after your skin – accept your true colours, whether you have a dark or light complexion or anything in between, whether you have a thick skin or thin skin or combination skin, embrace it wholeheartedly and unapologetically…
Ted Tsai 