The New You. The Real You.

In my last blog I wrote that the time for change is now. I opened up about my journey of self discovery and the importance of being the real/authentic versions of ourselves vs what we are told to be.  If you decided to leave the old you and venture out in becoming the you that you are called to be I want to commend you.  You have taken the first step to personal and authentic freedom!

Let me start off  saying by allowing this process of becoming my truest self has been one of the most challenging and rewarding adventures. It causes you to dig deep and you must ask yourself some very difficult questions.  It takes a ton of work, but getting to know yourself on a deeper level will help you thrive in every area of your life. 

You need to ask yourself why you are the way you are. Why do you think the way you do?  Ask yourself what you really want from this life and what you are truly passionate about.  Most important is to ask yourself where the answers originated.  Is your mindset birthed from things you are told as a child or from your own adult process of thinking? Do you react the way you do in situations because that is what is expected of you?  Are you living a life other people told you do live?  

If the answers to these questions are not what you want to here it is alright.  You are well on your way to shedding the old you and becoming who you are called  to be.  This journey is not an overnight one.  It will take time, and to be honest it is a journey that will take your entire life if you let it.  There will be different versions of you that will emerge as time goes on.  You will encounter shifts.  What I mean by this is the best place to be in life is in a constant state of growth. We should strive to continually evolve.  Without this we will become stagnant and unhappiness sets in. 

I want to encourage you to never give up on yourself!  You deserve to walk this path and become who you are supposed to be. However, there will be many obstacles along the way.  The first challenge I encountered was the old me.  Sometimes as your journey shifts and you begin to transform, you will be your biggest enemy. The old habits and mindset will try to fight their way back in.  You see the new you is requiring you to let go of what you are familiar with. Becoming the authentic version of yourself will require you to grow and elevate higher than you ever have before.  This can be a scary thing.  It is always nerve racking to step out of your comfort and into the unknown. I am here to tell you to not allow the old you to stop the new you from moving forward. 

The other source of concern is others.  Those that new the old you and prefer him/her. As you evolve you will make a lot of people uncomfortable. They do not know the person you are turning into and they may not like it. Some might guilt you into staying where you were.  I am here to tell you to evolve anyway!  Continue to grow into who you feel you should be despite what others say.  If they are truly your people, then they will encourage you along the way. 

In my experience, as you put the pieces of the new you together people will like the idea of you, but lack the maturity to handle reality of you.  What I mean by this is simple. There will be some individuals that will cheer you on in the beginning, but once the new you starts to be a reality they will not know what to do.  Maybe they thought you were going through a phase or that you would not really make any real change.  Whatever the case they will not be able to continue along with on your journey.  

There will be those that do not know how to react to the new you. These are the ones that normally follow the crowd, so when you step out of that box they get startled. They are not used to this type of behavior.  So instead of being supportive they will try and make you feel like you are a freak or damaged.  I am here to tell you not to fall for such nonsense. 

There will also be those that no matter what you say will never truly here or understand you.  It might be out of fear or jealousy on their part.  You will encounter those that see what you appear to be, but not truly experience what you are. You will be misunderstood and wrongly judged, but you cannot give in.  Just do not back down.  Keep evolving. Most of the time you will come to realize that these people are searching for their own true self.  They are just confused souls that have not had the revelation to start their journey of self discovery. 

Remember that there will always be those that no matter what you do will not see the real you.  They will be blinded from your heart.  You will also come to realize that not everyone deserves to know the real you.  So let them talk about who they think you are. Remind yourself you were born to stand out and not to fit in.