In the essay, "A conflict of Interest" by Zera Neale Hurston and the short story "It's Hard Enough Being Me" by Anna Lisa Raya, both authors illustrate what it means to be true to oneself.
1. Never say or think negative things about yourself, such as, "I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?" says, ...by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned…. says, …as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, the way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves.
2. Speak good things about yourself (as private confessions) in line with what the Word says about you. For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." I like starting the day making good confessions. Perhaps you can do this while you're driving to work or cleaning house. I also encourage you to look in the mirror and say out loud, "God loves and accepts you, and so do I." You may even try hugging yourself. This is beneficial to people who have lacked love and acceptance in their lives.
3. Never compare yourself with other people. God must love variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. You'll never succeed at being yourself if you're trying to be like someone else. Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality.
4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived.
5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful.
6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (see ). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.
7. Don't let the way another person treats you determine your worth.
8. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses.
In conclusion, let me remind you of my opening statement: It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. When you learn to succeed at being yourself, you'll be well on your way to enjoying life more fully.
~Muriel Strode (1875–1964), , 1904
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
1. Never say or think negative things about yourself, such as, "I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?" says, ...by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned…. says, …as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, the way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves.
2. Speak good things about yourself (as private confessions) in line with what the Word says about you. For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." I like starting the day making good confessions. Perhaps you can do this while you're driving to work or cleaning house. I also encourage you to look in the mirror and say out loud, "God loves and accepts you, and so do I." You may even try hugging yourself. This is beneficial to people who have lacked love and acceptance in their lives.
3. Never compare yourself with other people. God must love variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. You'll never succeed at being yourself if you're trying to be like someone else. Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality.
4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived.
5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful.
6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (see ). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.
7. Don't let the way another person treats you determine your worth.
8. Keep your flaws in perspective. People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses.
In conclusion, let me remind you of my opening statement: It's tough to enjoy life when you don't like yourself. When you learn to succeed at being yourself, you'll be well on your way to enjoying life more fully.
Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
This quote from Frankl shows how important love is in life and it proves it because when he was in such a situation that is what he was thinking of.
The Second Amendment to the Bill of rights of the United States Constitution states "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." In order to understand that right, the modern reader must understand the semantics of the eighteenth century....
The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” This amendment has been around since 1791, and there has been gun control almost as long as it's been around.
The second amendment says, "A well regulated militia being necessary to security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The second amendment was made for two things.
This process is nothing new for you, since you infer relationships all the time - say, between something you've read in the newspaper and something you've seen for yourself, or between the teaching styles of your favorite and least favorite instructors....
~Gabrielle Roth
I shall not mind what I am, if I have the courage to nail it to the bulletin board on the public square...
I am not less than the mountain range that stretches away in its infinite line of being, that lifts up its head, confident and without apology.
My life is not less than the stars that come forth in their place at night and shine.
Whatever I do, or am, give me the courage to espouse it.
That same vernacular is being censored some one hundred and twenty seven years later, by a publishing company named NewSouth Books, who has released a version of the novel that replaces the amply used word, 'nigger', with what they believe to be less offensive in the word, 'slave'....
I personally know some people who try to be cool, but end up acting like complete idiots. They would be better off being themselves. Life is too short to be worrying about what others think of you. It is no fun when people discriminate you on how you look or how you do things. I could really care less about what people think of me.
Fantasia has a devoted fan base willing to forgive even the most prominent blunders presented on her show, such as failing to get her G.E.D., being reckless with her money, and dating a married man.