Being Yourself
I continue to meet people that are trying to be something that they are not, trying to impress those around them or trying to not be who they truly are so others might like them. In the end for me, it comes down to self-esteem. I struggled most of my life with self-esteem issues. I worried about what everyone else thought and especially what they thought of me. In the end, the only person that I needed to like me was me. I needed to look in the mirror and see the spirit that I am, not all the flaws in myself. Our society might want to show me all of my flaws, but in the end they don’t matter. We are all perfect exactly the way we are.
I see self-esteem challenges in kids in the neighborhood, in parents that are trying to live out their fantasies through their kids and bullies trying to get rid of their pain by making others feel worse than they do. We have spent a significant period of time trying to teach our kids why bullies do what they do so they can avoid the pain. Drew and Noah have dealt with bullies so much better than I did and that makes me feel good. In the end, I just want them to be happy and to be themselves and it starts with feeling good about yourself.
Over the past few years I have talked with so many people that are not able to be themselves for one reason or another. Some blame it on societal pressure to be “successful,” others blame it on their parents, but in the end it is our responsibility to take accountability for our own lives and live the purpose we were meant to live. When you are a child the world around you molds you into the person you are to become, but at some point (for me that point is somewhere in your early 20’s) you need to take 100% responsibility for the person you are. You can no longer blame society or your parents or anyone for who you are, it is your responsibility. Whatever the issue is, loving yourself and being able to truly be yourself is one of the most critical issues for us as humans. The more we worry about what others think the less able we are to be our true self.
In life, it is my belief that we are all here to live with passion and live our purpose. If we worry too much about what others think we will never find our passion or find our purpose. We all know what is right for us, we have an inner compass that guides us but others might not approve. When we worry about what others might say and others might think we lose a part of ourselves.
I have been told by numerous people that I should be this way or that way, but I know that I wake up every day with the best intentions. I want to take care of our family, be a supportive husband and father, a grateful and supportive brother and friend, so whatever anyone else thinks doesn’t change who I am. I don’t believe I have a mean bone in my body and I know deep down that my intentions are pure. I want the world to be a better place and that is what drives me. In the end that is all that matters to me.
‘Til next time …….
Larry Kesslin 