William Shakespeare had it right, “To thine own self
be true”. Or in simpler words, “Be yourself”. We
have heard these two words surplus number of
times from our teachers, our parents or life
counselors. But why is it so important? Why you
should stay original and not pretend being
somebody else even when you can? Somebody
who is more successful than you or somebody
who is more likable than you. Well here are the 10
reasons why you should stay who you are and be
yourself, instead of trying to be someone else.


1. There is no reason to be somebody else

Why, first tell me why do you want to be some
other person? Your friend has had more number of
boyfriends than you do, so you try to look like her
by changing your hairstyle? Your cousin lives
abroad and whenever he visits your place your
friends get drooled over his stylish accent so you
try faking a similar accent too? Your rich spoilt
friend wears nothing less than a Gucci which you
can’t really afford, so you go street shopping to
buy fake ones? Do you really want all this? Reality
Check!! Having a long relationship history doesn’t
promise a blissful lifelong commitment. A stylish
accent doesn’t make you a better person. Wearing
an over expensive Gucci or a Prada can’t change
what’s underneath all that clothing. So first realize
that what matters and what never will.


2. What is Fake will Fade

Do you remember what we used to say about
saying truth? That the best part about saying truth
is that you don’t have to remember what you said.
Well we normally add another line to it and make it
a joke by saying that that’s why you should lie
because that improves your memory! But hey, here
we are talking about your personality, your attitude,
your genuineness. And when you lie about that,
you lose a part of yourself, a part of your integrity.


3. You will feel better

As I said staying true has its benefits (okay! Forget
what I said about improving your memory; eat
almonds if you want a better memory!). When you
are pretending to be somebody else you start
feeling tense and scared, you tend to develop a
fear that you might get caught and people will
know your true-self and they won’t love you the
way they do now. Whereas accepting who you are
generates a feeling of calmness and relief. You
don’t have to be under any sort of pressure that
how you should respond to any particular situation
so that you come along as a brave or a heroic
person. You just have to follow your heart and go
with your instincts and that sounds so much
easier right? Trust me, it is! Give it a try!


4. By not being you, you deny the opportunity from
others to know the real you

Okay let’s get this clear. You were not sent to
Earth to please everyone and neither it is your job
to make sure that everyone loves you. But right
out there, there is somebody who would have
loved the person you actually are when you were
too busy faking your super cool attitude. And
guess what, you didn’t just deprive that person
from knowing you, but you also deprived yourself
from being loved. And that’s your loss buddy!


5. You lose your own identity

When you are acting who you are not, you are not
just deceiving others but also yourself. You are
masquerading and that is not at all advisable.
Because in this faking process you tend to forget
who you actually are. Your strengths, your
weaknesses and your very own essence. One
forgets to believe in his or her own existence and
starts living with a virtual identity. And when you
don’t know who you really are then how can you
have compassion for yourself? And ultimately you
surrender your identity.


6. Staying true to yourself enhances your creativity

Pierce through your skin and peep into your soul.
Explore your talents and you will discover the real
YOU. The deeper you go, the more familiar you
become with yourself. And once you get united
with your soul, you can transmit the positive
feelings in others too. You can take up a new
hobby or just enhance your old ones. But once
you will be yourself, creativity will start pouring
out like a chocolate fountain! You see? I thought
up the phrase “pouring out like a chocolate
fountain” using my creativity! Also they are really
tempting!


7. Following a trend mindlessly makes you look

Today, when I scroll down my Facebook profile and
check out the comments that I made 2 years ago, I
find stuff like “Tenq fo d lyks”, “ua amazing gurl”,
“miss eu” etc. Gosh!!! That’s so embarrassing.
What was I thinking? I guess I was just doing what
everyone else was, what I thought to be cool
without using my own brains and forgetting about
my true personality. Come on! Am not that “eu”,
”mah”, ”tenq” type of “gurl”! So, got my point?
DON’T follow such stupid trends and make
yourself look like a nincompoop. STAY ORIGINAL!


8. People who judge you are either frustrated of
their own self or are simply jealous

You don’t know about anybody’s life journey so
you got no right to judge them. Similarly they have
no idea what your life is all about. May it be the
compromises that you have made, the difficulties
you overcame or your purpose of life. You are not
accountable to anybody. Neither you are
answerable. So never be hesitant for your beliefs
or your attitude. Being confident makes you sexy
the way nothing else can! And pay no heed to
your annoying colleague or your interfering
neighbors or your relatives who are constantly
criticizing you for the choices you make, where the
reality is they are just jealous of your happiness or
are unsatisfied with their own lives. So focus on
the person you daily see in the mirror! Make him/
her happy.


9. Your heart will never lead you astray


Everyone makes some mistakes in their life and
that’s a pretty natural thing. Nothing you need to
worry about. But what you certainly don’t want is
a life full of regrets. The moments at which when
you look back years later and you wish that you
should have followed your heart. Some major life
changing decisions or some simple moments
where if you went by your heart, life would have
been a whole lot different. No phenomenal success
can guarantee you the happiness which you get
when you follow your heart, your dreams, and your
true desires. Then is it being a DJ or a
veterinarian. Just go ahead! Because your heart
never leads you astray. It knows exactly what you
want, whether you know it or not, but it does. Start
listening to it.


1. YOU make the best YOU!


“Life is a stage, And we are the actors
And everybody have a part to play, Like a never
ending movie
With all different character, Each one have a role to
portray”
These are the lyrics of the song “Life is a stage” by
Brother Valentino. I really like his apropos use of
the metaphor to describe life which is indeed like a
stage and we all have roles to play. But you know
what, all the roles are taken except one. And that’s
yours and nobody can play it better than you do.
So get in your own shoes and don’t just walk a
mile but run, dance, swim, do whatever you like!
And don’t forget to stay positive in a world full of
negativity. To stay loyal in a world full of distrust.
Lastly, to stay original in a world full of followers
and trends.

source:
http://listdose.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-always-be-yourself/

Nice

waow wat a brave write up,

Gaining tins on Nairaland since ...

op u dey on point.

So true

lets be ourselves and make Nigeria proud. let us do away with " i wanna gonna" and get creative.

nice writeup

I'M REAL.

11. To wish you're someone else is a waste of yourself.

Life is too short to be fake...no time to check time

Ride on pastor!!"!!

Lovely write-ups, even though I managed to read half of it