Steve Jobs famously said, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
Time and identity go hand in hand.
We take time for granted, which allows us to slip into comfort.
And comfort is usually the place where we are conforming to society. We are doing what's easy.
Being yourself is rarely as easy as being like everyone else.
But as they say, "comfort is killer," doing what's easy, what's comfortable, is nearly always going to come with unintended consequences.
One of those consequences is the regret you have for not following your dreams and living life to the beat of your own drum.
"I think the things you regret most in life are the things you didn't do."-Steve Jobs
When you look back at the end of your life, what do you think you will feel?
Will you feel gratitude for starting that business, writing that novel, telling that person how you felt about them?
Or will you feel content that you took the safe path and did what your parents wanted you to do?
Visualize the end of your life.
Does the thought fill you with regret? Do you feel content? Are you unsure?
Keep practicing this visualization technique, and you will uncover things in your subconscious that probably want to come out. Then let them out.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a *profoundly sick society."-Jiddu Krishnamurti
If you look at how most people live, you will find things you don't want for yourself.
Most Americans are overweight.
Most are living lives of quiet desperation.
Many are on antidepressants and generally unhappy with their relationships, finances, and purpose.
And these are the same people that will try to hold you down because your greatness shines a light on their failings. In general, people don't want others rising above them.
"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."-Steve Jobs
Your first step in becoming who you requires listening to your inner voice.
You already know who you are and what you are meant to do. The problem is, you don't trust that inner voice. You aren't letting your truth guide you.
Instead, you're following the path most are on—listening to experts, celebrities, pundits, and politicians on TV tell you how to think and live.
The mainstream narrative is almost always wrong. At best, it lacks in context. At worst, it is dangerous propaganda that can ruin your life.
"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."-Oscar Wilde
That's the miracle of life: you are a unique individual.
There will never be another you. No one else will even come close.
You might find another human that looks like you, or maybe there will be one in the future.
But will he or she have your thoughts, experiences, and creative talents?
Not even close.
To suppress who you are is to suppress nature.
Don't go against Mother Nature. She knows what she's doing.
So embrace your individuality and give your gifts t the world. That is the most human thing you can do, and it just so happens to be what the world needs.
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."-Steve Jobs
Doing work that matters to you goes hand in hand with cultivating your unique identity and living each day who you are.
Since work takes up so much of your time, staying in a job or doing work you don't enjoy will sap your life force and cripple your inner creative self.
It is soul-draining, as they say.
The most impactful thing you can do for yourself and the world is to find work that fills you up. That work will be better for humanity since it's your contribution to the world. And the more you do it, the better you will feel and the stronger your identity will become.
This confidence flywheel builds upon itself and becoming who you then comes naturally.
You are the best gift you can give yourself and the world
There is no better gift you can give to yourself, your friends, family, and the world than yourself.
So embrace your unique creative self and be truly who you are every day of your life.
If you struggle with this now, treat each day as practice and make progress. Over time, you won't recognize your former self because you'll have become your true self.
Give who you are to the world. Be yourself and watch as abundance flows into your life.