Your reality and fulfillment in life do not start the day you are born. It actually starts the day you discover who you truly are and start living it out; when you come to the realization that you have the potential to be great and be all you should be.
What it means to be you is all about the journey of self-discovery, fulfillment, contentment, discerning purpose, seeking knowledge, etc. No one is created as a nonentity. We all came packaged and have the potential to be the best.
Many are just wandering this path of life aimlessly without any direction or focus. Some are carrying the emotional and foundational wounds, baggage, and injuries that have kept them stuck. Yet, we were all made to impact lives and leave empty.
Not knowing what it means to be you will end up leaving you more frustrated. You’ll end up running around the circle, confused about your identity, and keep struggling to live another person’s life.
The big question is; how can I live an impactful life when I don’t even know what it means to be me? By the end of this article, you’ll understand better what it means to be you and how to make those thoughts a reality.
What Does It Mean to Be You?
Here are some to discover What It Means to be You
What It Means to Be You #1: You Are Self-Aware and Conscious of Your Uniqueness and Traits
The first secret to knowing what it means to be “you” typically refers to having an identity, unique characteristics, experiences, and perspectives that define you as an individual. You are self-aware if you are conscious of your personal uniqueness, strengths, and weaknesses.
Our personal identity is defined by our distinct characteristics, traits, beliefs, values, and experiences.
This revolves around both the internal sense of self and the external perception of how others perceive and define us.
What it means to be you involves a personal identity that is shaped by various factors, which include:
Biological factors, beliefs, and values, psychological factors, sociocultural factors, interests and lessons, life experiences, etc.
These and more are parts of the features that explain us and what it means to be you.
What It Means to Be You #2: You Are Headed To A Direction in Life
If you are already headed toward and focused on your purpose in life, then you’re already exploring what it means to be you.
Many are just living a life of trial and error without clarity or direction.
Years ago, Charlotte, my friend, was just that young, talented lady who was stuck, confused, and had no clarity or focus.
Procrastination was sitting on her. She battled depression and low self-esteem for years. She kept on running round the cycle.
There was no business or job that she didn’t do.
She actually knew she needed to do more, but how can she do more when she doesn’t know how to start?
She continued like this until she started a journey of self-discovery and awareness, taking some drastic actions to be better.
Attended some life-changing programs, read books, and sought the adequate knowledge she needed.
That was when she discovered purpose, and she is still doing well on the path of self-discovery!
Many people today are still like Charlotte. They haven’t found direction in life.
The only way to be better is to take action, just like Charlotte did.
We all have what it takes to be great, but the problem is ignorance. We need to know more.
Ignorance sucks. Keep learning and improving. Keep shaping yourself with the right knowledge and wisdom until you beat yourself on the right path.
What It Means to Be You #3: You’ve Accepted Your True Identity
Being “you” involves accepting your true identity.
You can’t be proud of an identity you deny. Life starts when you actually accept that this is who you are.
You can only boost, modify, or change the identity you’ve accepted.
This acceptance includes your weaknesses, belief system, temperament, strength, being true to yourself, and starting to live in a way that aligns with your values.
Accepting this goes a long way toward helping you become a better YOU!
Identifying those negative characteristics to change. The temperament to modify, the physical features to like about you, and the belief systems to get rid of will help you understand what it means to be you!
What It Means to Be You #4: Memories and Experiences Have Shaped you
Our Memories play a very important role in shaping our personal identity.
The experiences we have had so far in life, both significant and mundane, create a chain of memories that contribute to our sense of self.
These memories inform our understanding of who we are, shaping our values, preferences, and beliefs and the way we navigate future situations.
Furthermore, these memories allow us to establish connections between our past, present, and future selves, fostering a sense of continuity.
If you’ve allowed your life experiences to shape you, then you’ve learned a lot about yourself and should most likely have discovered what it means to be you, even in your interactions with others.
Our memories and experiences differ; yet they play a great role in self-discovery, helping you become who you are.
What It Means to Be You #5: You Have Self-Esteem and Personal Boundaries
Nobody is going to respect you more than you respect yourself. Ever wondered why most people look down on insane people?
Nobody will stop crossing your boundary unless you set the bar.
People will always overstep their boundaries and take advantage of you if you don’t put them where they belong.
Your values speak more about how you treat yourself.
It’s called self-respect.
How to know if you’re actually being you is when you understand your value and give yourself the self-respect you deserve. And people will treat you the way you treat yourself, based on the perceived value you project.
That’s a bitter truth. If you always put yourself down or pipe low when you are with people, They’ll always want to shut you down.
People are funny. They will push you if you don’t shut the door. Boundaries help regulate how others interact with you.
Self-respect and love mean loving oneself and treating yourself with care.
It comes as a result of staying true to your values and not being willing to compromise.
Constant or consistent engagement of such behaviors with your beliefs and values will give you more fulfilled confidence.
And that’s how you become more of ‘you’.
What It Means to Be You #6: You Are Investing in Yourself
Being yourself means consciously investing in yourself.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
For every one of your long-term goals and life journeys toward becoming who you are, it must cost you something.
You must start a journey of discovery, self-discipline, and investing in yourself. Read books and study. Keep developing yourself.
This means that you must shun every distraction and stay focused.
Knowing what it means to be you involves investing in anything that will bring you self-awareness.
This means you must invest your time, energy, strength, and effort into fully discovering who you are.
What It Means to Be You #7: You are Focused and Minding your Business
Nothing wastes time more than not minding one’s business. You are becoming more of yourself when you are focused and minding your business.
Be busy with your life.
That same energy you use to intrude into people’s lives by competing and copying others can be used to sublimate your personal life and be better.
Time is everything. Avoid wasting your time, energy, or effort on others who are not worth it.
Do not involve yourself in the affairs of others when it’s not necessary.
Don’t get involved in the lives of others when it doesn’t concern you.
Never engage energetically, physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually with others, especially those who do not deserve it.
Be cautious and wise about who or what you devote your energy to.
That is what it means to be you.
What It Means to Be You #8: You Are Not Living for Others
If you want to be “you”, then you must stop living for others. Do not live to please others, but God.
Most times, people will end up taking advantage of you when you are trying to please them.
Live for God and purpose, not for others.
You don’t need to compromise your morals, values, principles, or standards just to please others.
Knowing what it means to be you include not seeking validation or acceptance from others. It was Jesus who said in John 5:41, “I receive no honor from men.”
Being you means not allowing the thoughts, opinions, speech, or actions of others to affect you.
The idea behind this is actually so deep and resonates on many levels and in many ways.
It isn’t just “advice” given through experience or personal opinion.
It’s the reality that can be found in laws that govern existence, tenets found in various practices, and disciplines, etc.
What It Means to Be You #9: You Are Ever-evolving
The path to self-discovery and being you is ladened with change. We keep evolving through life, always dropping the negatives and picking up the positives.
Personal identity carries a sense of continuity; it is not a static process.
We undergo personal growth, adapt to new circumstances, and acquire new knowledge and perspectives as we journey through life.
Same way, our identity evolves and adapts in response to these changes, reflecting our capacity for personal development and self-transformation.
This helps you have a full grasp of what it means to be you.
What It Means to Be You #10: You are Daring New Things
Being you means you are daring new things and acing life.
Life is all about risks. It’s even a risk not to take one.
Becoming a better you include daring everything that looks impossible in your life. It’s a journey of knowing more and deeper.
- Write that book you’ve nurtured for years.
- Birth those ideas.
- Fix those issues.
- Break that record.
Don’t stop until you’re there, fulfilling your purpose.
“Do you” and become a better version of yourself; do self-growth and become a better person every day.
In conclusion, the journey of Self-Awareness, self-discovery, and consciousness toward becoming you starts when you identify yourself.
That is when you know what it means to become you! You’ve found a purpose for living.
Life isn’t too long to dwell on unnecessary dramas.
The ability to recognize oneself as a distinct entity with a subjective experience plays a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of the world and our place within it.
This awareness provides us with a sense of continuity and a platform for introspection.
Through self-reflection and introspection, we gain insights into our thoughts, emotions, values, and desires, contributing to the formation of our unique identity.
Having known what it means to be you, it’s now time to explore the Essence of living and being “You”
