The Art of Being Yourself

There are some things I go back to regularly: Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Tinashe…

These things will never get old and I’ll always gain something new out of visiting these timeless favorites.

This TEDx talk is one of those things I revisit every now and then. (And with 10 million views, you might have even seen it too. But I’ll still plug it here, and maybe you’ll feel called to watch it again too. Now’s as good a time as any!)

Authenticity, selfhood, and the true expression of the self are themes that are ALWAYS on my mind. This talk by Caroline McHugh struck so deep when I first saw it because it really spoke truth to my soul. It touched on so many things that I realized were true in my own experience: I am unlike anyone else, and therefore cannot be compared to another. I can shift my perspective to make you the center of my attention, instead of the other way around. And there are multiple layers to the self, and these interact with the world, to help us shape our identity and inform the way that we want to show up and be in life. Unpacking the structures of how you think about yourself, and learning to maximize your self-ness to the fullest potential, is freeing and empowering to the ultimate degree.

Stepping more fully into yourself is the key to a happy, fulfilling, authentic life. I try to come back to this every time I feel down, deflated, uninspired and/or lost. Zooming out like this works as a pretty nifty pick me up and helps refresh my perspective on what I’m doing (in the moment, and/or in life) and reevaluate my direction.

Caroline McHugh says it all much better than I can in this summary, so I’ll leave her video here for you to check out. I hope you walk away feeling invigorated, inspired, and absolutely, inimitably, you.

Do you have any other similar recommendations? Drop them below, I love to find stuff like this! Speeches, books, podcasts, essays, movies, videos, articles, and more are welcome!