“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
In a world full of external pressure to “fit in”, to be a “replica” of the women we see in magazines, on YouTube, in music videos, or on social media, it takes courage to be original. There is so much pressure on young girls, and boys to be like their idols, and even as adults we are sucked into believing that we need to be a “prettier”, “slimmer”, “more fun” version of ourselves!
But what if we re-defined our definition of success in our lives? What if we start believing that the best way to be “happy” was not to be like someone else, but instead to be OURSELVES?
I have made no secret of the fact that for most of my life I wanted to be like someone else, or at least not be “me” anymore. I couldn’t see what was so special about me, or why anyone would like me if I was showing them my “true self”.
I lacked body confidence, I felt I wasn’t interesting enough, smart enough, or fun enough. It wasn’t that I lacked attention, I was actually what you would consider “popular”. I had parents who loved me, plenty of friends, and loads of attention from boys. But when you are not happy within yourself, it doesn’t matter how much attention you receive, or how many people tell you that you are special. Because when you don’t believe it, what other’s tell you seems fake, you simply don’t believe it.
Like I said above, it doesn’t matter what others think of you if you don’t believe it yourself. If you don’t believe you are beautiful, funny, intelligent, worthy of respect, then no matter how many people tell you, it won’t make a difference.
Yet for some reason we push ourselves and mould ourselves into what we believe will please others. We think that once we gain the approval of the guy we like, the boss we have, or our parents we will truly be happy! But this is where we are wrong!
Their approval means nothing if we don’t believe we are worthy of it!
The only person we need to approve of us, is us! We are the only person with true power over ourselves. Once you know that you can truly start to find out what makes you happy.
This is your life, you were born with originality and now it is time for you to claim that back! It takes self respect and courage to be who you truly know you should be. When I went back to writing I had to put myself out of my comfort zone, I had to be vulnerable and it wasn’t easy. Although I was in a bad space, I was used to that place. I had become comfortable with my life even though I knew I was unhappy. But only I was capable of making the changes that had to be made. This is my life and I had to stand up and say “no more”. I had to speak up for myself, I had to learn to push my boundaries and rediscover who I truly was. I had to make myself completely vulnerable and it was terrifying, but it was also the beginning of the amazing life I live now!
Learning to love and respect yourself after years of self loathing is not easy, but I am proof that it is possible. Don’t let fear of change, or negative self talk stop you from finding yourself! It takes strength and courage to be who you were always meant to be, but once you start believing in yourself the possibilities in your life become endless.
You can only truly live successfully and happily when you are being true to who you are. You must live your own truth and no one else’s. The true meaning of happiness is found in authenticity. So embrace who you are, love yourself, be unique, and be fearlessly authentically YOU!
Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie xx
Follow me on Instagram @macglanville
Have you joined in my Instagram Community Yet?
It is Living Fearlessly Authentic #livingfearlesslyauthentic a # community on Instagram that is all about sharing our real lives. This can be pics of you feeling empowered, your kids playing, or your kids making a mess. It can be a quote you love, a photo of the coffee you have to have in order to survive the day. It can be you feeding your baby, or a book you are enjoying. It is all about showing people the real you, your real life, those imperfect moments, and those moments where everything is going right too! Life is real, it is beautiful, messy and fun, so next time you add a photo to Instagram use the #livingfearlesslyauthentic and I will show it some love xx
If you enjoyed this post, you will love “What if the parts we hide of ourselves from the world, are actually the most beautiful parts of us?”
Do you suffer Mummy Guilt? Time to Shake It Off!
I am also co-hosting the community IG Hashtag #Mummyshot
You can find out more about these new Instagram communities on my YouTube Channel Reflectionsfromme my latest Vlog is up which explains more about both #livingfearlesslyauthentic and #mummyshot
42 comments
Being Yourself should be easy but we are bombarded with media to become someone who we are just to be ‘popular’. Thanks for reminding everyone that being yourself is really being the best you can be. xxx
I’m often told I’m fearless and that I don’t care to fit in or impress. I think it is one of the reasons I’m so happy in life. I wish everyone was raised to feel confidence and know that being unique is so valued. #bigpinklink
I think confidence to be yourself is something that comes with age and wisdom, I lost all my hang ups somewhere in my early 40s, life is much better when you do. #BigPinkLink.
This is a fantastic post Mac. I find the older that I get, the more able I am to be authentic to myself. The more confidence I get to wear crazy clothes, have bright coloured hair. I have a lot less care to give about what people think about me. I’m not totally there yet but I’m pretty sure that by the time I’m 70 I shall be fully authentic…..with a pink rinse! Thanks for being a fabulous part of the #bigpinklink
Love this. This is a really interesting and thought provoking post. I think as I get older I become more authentic, my confidence grows as does the fact I know myself that little more. #globalblogging
Great post, inspirational, made me think about my fearless authentic self…If you can find the right balance between being true to yourself and know how and when to compromise, you are a winner! But there are so many of us, who are either too confident or with too low self-confidence. Perhaps it does come with age – the confidence and being authentic as we become wiser, more experienced and just don’t care about what others think of us;)) #GlobalBlogging
I love this! Your posts are so inspirational. I love the focus on being unique and authentic. #GlobalBlogging
This post is exactly what I needed to read right now. I am struggling to regain my confidence especially in my writing and This post is perfect thank you #bigpinklink
Isn’t it crazy that we now live in a world where you have to struggle so much to just simple “be you?”
This is a great article!
#anythinggoes
An important message, well put. This is a mindset I hope to encourage in my daughter, to see through today’s emphasis on the superficial. Will be bookmarking this one.
#globalblogging
Enjoyed reading this. Sometimes all we need is a gentle reminder 🙂
This is another fabulous post and I am with you all the way. Sometimes life throws a lot of curved balls our way and it takes real conviction to throw them back and stand true to our values self belief. As I frequently say the only person we need to prove anything to is ourselves! No-one else matters. Well done for coming out the other side. #bigpinklink
Couldn’t agree more. Just what I needed on a Monday morning 🙂 #GlobalBlogging
So true, but it can be so hard sometimes (speaking from experience). But we have to keep trying! #GlobalBlogging
This is a great ethos for life. You just feel so much more relaxed when you aren’t trying to please other people. #GlobalBlogging
It sometimes feels like I lost great chunks of myself to corporate life. Claiming it back is easier said than done. But I keep on trying. Thank you for a great post! #globalblogging
What a great post. You are absolutely right. It is difficult to just be yourself. I struggle with this every day.
#anythinggoes
Ooh I have definitely become more authentic with age – although I sometimes worry what other people think I don’t let it bother me anywhere as near as I did in my teens/twenties. I think perspective has a lot to do with it too and as I’ve gotten older my priorities have changed a lot, especially since becoming a mother. #bigpinklink
So well written! thank you for this, it really speaks to me. This is something that I am definitely working on, being confident in my skin and owning who I am. One thing I really need to work on is my negative thinking! #AnythingGoes
Well said. If you aren’t true to yourself, you only have yourself to blame.
#globalblogging
I think we all have moments or self doubt. Some more than others. I’m lucky I’ve always been quite a contented person but have had to work more on this as I’ve got older.
Sally @ Life Loving
Thank you for reminding us this important thing!! This is what I try to say to my son: Just be true and be you!
This is the way I want to live, and if there is someone who doesn’t like me the way I am, then he/she can go…;-)
Great post! #GlobalBlogging
– Emmi
It is such an important message to pass on to the younger generations. I really wish all these celebrities were better at promoting health rather than being skinny, muscley or wearing a tonne of bling. #globalblogging
I love this post. Starting my blog has really helped me become myself again and it’s so freeing x
#GlobalBlogging
I definitely think that being true to yourself comes with age. As you get older you realise what is important instead of worrying so much what others think x #GlobalBlogging x
I love this. I wasted far too many years trying to be someone else, someone that everyone else wanted me to be, and now the older I get the happier I am to just be myself, and to be authentic not only in my blog, but in person too. I’m getting braver as I get older that’s for sure.
I think it’s something that gets easier as we get older and know our seleves better. We are always being told by media etc to be something else or better, when all we need to be is true to ourselves. #globalblogging
This is such a lovely post, so very true, not only in our everyday lives, but also as bloggers. A great reminder! Thank you for co-hosting #globalblogging this week! xx
I totally agree,it’s the only way to be really happy.For me it was achieving things that really mattered that made me finally get off my own case.#GlobalBlogging
It’s taken me most of my life to realize that who I am is who I’m supposed to be. I’m almost 37 and I finally feel like I’ve figured it out. It’s good to be yourself and do/say/wear/exist in a way that makes you happy all the time. Of course I still have days where I don’t like myself much, or feel like I need to change things, but overall I’m in a much better headspace now that I ever was as a teenager or even in my 20s. Great post!
~Jess
#GlobalBlogging
Oh my goodness every time you write something I feel like I can relate to some aspect of it. #GlobalBlogging
Stopping back via #bestandworst
I try so hard to not care what people think and be myself but it is SOOO hard sometimes. This post is another good reminder to keep at it and be happy. Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst x
Such an AWESOME message for females of ALL ages. You should consider submitting this to a girls’ magazine. Seriously.
#GlobalBlogging
This is what I needed to read today as I have been going through one of those times where I don’t think much of myself or like who I am but this post has really helped me. Thank you #GlobalBlogging
I think the older you get the easier it is to realise that other peoples expectations of you really aren’t that important. Life is too short to worry about what other people think of you because those that mind, don’t matter and those that matter, don’t mind. #globalblogging
I am all over the attempts of self love. I too struggle with self confidence and although externally seem happy and bubbly, internally I do not like myself however I know that I am me and people need to accept me as i wont change for anyone.
Im coming to terms with the fact that I’m a bit like marmite and can be annoying. but my attitude is that if i have to deal with me, then so do you! #globalblogging
I love this! I needed to be reminded to own my own personality. I’m pretty cool!
#bigpinklink
I love this, and it’s so true! I do think I’m actually a person who is often happy just being myself. It’s very rare I try to be anything else. I think there was one time in my life that I would have tried but I feel content!
Great post!
Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes
It’s so hard to be ourselves in a world that doesn’t allow us to be ourselves. I always wanted to be skinnier in high school because I thought I was a bit too fat, but looking at my photos now I realise I was a stick! What was I thinking?! Just a reminder for myself now that I am not fat, I will be 50 looking back at photos of myself now thinking “oh wow I looked great!” Haha I’m starting to think being anything other than yourself is a waste of time. Thanks for co-hosting #GlobalBlogging!
I love this post – I definitely try to be fearless and unique! I’m more confident now than I used to be and I feel growing up a bit helps. Great post xx #dreamteam
I love this Mackenzie. It should be so easy to just be ourselves, but yet we all do seem to put ourselves under pressure to aspire to be someone else (or the Pinterest version of themselves that we usually get to see.) I agree that the only way to be truly happy is to love and accept ourselves for who we are. Thanks for sharing with #DreamTeam x
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