If you’re looking for a theme for a kids’ TV show or movie, you can always use the most overused but widely accepted one: Just be yourself. It’s the message that is sold to us from the moment we’re plopped in front of TV screens as children, but in real life it’s not always as easy as the talking dinosaurs and High School Musical cast makes it seem- especially if you’re actually just an alien in disguise…
Being who you are means truly thinking for yourself and never accepting anyone else’s idea of what your life should look like. It means being confident in what you want out of life, even if it may not fit into the conventional idea of success. Here are some signs that you are being who you truly are:
You disagree with your parents or family on something
If you agree with your parents or family on everything, you are not thinking for yourself enough. Being yourself means forming your own opinions, rather than adopting an ideology or viewpoint simply because your parents told you it was the right one. If you are thinking for yourself, you will disagree with your parents and/or family members on something.
You know what success means to you
To many people, success means having a secure job and enough money to be comfortable. That’s a good goal to have, don’t get me wrong, but I just think that every person should have their own idea of what success means to them. For example, It’s more important to me to follow my passions and for my life to be filled with adventure than to have a stable job (although that would be nice). My idea of success could look like failure to someone who thinks that a stable job is more important. If you can identify your own idea of success, it’s a sign that you know who you are and what you want.
You are going after what makes you happy
Kind of like the idea of “being yourself”, going after what makes you happy is easier said than done. If you’re hoping to do something unconventional or risky, there are always people who are going to tell you to be realistic. However, the other kids’ TV show clichéd theme is true: follow your dreams. Chasing after what makes you happy is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
You are only trying to impress yourself
Be a person that you would want to hang out with. Don’t mold to people around you to become what you think they want you to be. As Jim Morrison said, “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.” And when in doubt, look to Lady Gaga for inspiration: