Stop Being Yourself.

Let me first start by saying there are many times that “just be yourself” is the best advice. For example – going on a date or a job interview. In these situations, who you are is important for the other person to know right at the very beginning.

But “just being yourself” is not an excuse either. Here’s what I mean.

I’m selfish. I always have been. I came out of my momma crying for a blanket and some milk. That’s part of who I am. Does that give me freedom to be rude to you for the sake of “just being myself”? Of course not.

Our world today is extremely individualistic. We’re told at a very young age that we can be or do anything if we just put our mind to it. I remember PBS programs as a child encouraging me to “Be original” and to think for myself. I don’t have qualms with that.

But that same thought taken to the extreme leads to the increasingly common thought, “I’m proud of who I am, and I won’t change for anybody.” A popular song by Imagine Dragons celebrates this individuality with the hook, “I’m never changing who I am!”

Seriously? What about if you’re a slob, a jerk, shy to the point of avoiding any human interaction, overbearing, hurtful, abusive, or just plain rude? You’re happy with that? You’re proud of who you are and are unwilling to change for anybody?

It can be really difficult to see this in ourselves. For example, as an extrovert, I am inclined to rudely dominate conversations and be a little obnoxious. I can’t help that I’m an extrovert, but I can control my behaviors. So although I’ll never change that I’m an extrovert, I DO want to change my level of obnoxiousness! I shouldn’t use my extroverted temperament (who I am) as an excuse to be offensive to others.

Let’s have enough humility to recognize that we are all incomplete and be open to the positive influences of those around us (for the Christian, those influences may come from the Holy Spirit). We are who we are – but we can always be a better “us.”

2,560 Replies to “Stop Being Yourself.”

  1. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me dinner due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this issue here on your site.

  2. With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of
    plagorism or copyright violation? My blog has a lot
    of completely unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a
    lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any ways to help
    prevent content from being ripped off? I’d really appreciate it.

  3. Hello. Such a nice post! I’m really appreciate it. It will be great if you’ll read my first article on AP!) porngifs.ca

  4. Aloha! Interesting post! I’m really appreciate it. It will be great if you’ll read my first article on AP!) gifs

  5. Hello! I could have sworn Iíve visited this website before but after going through some of the articles I realized itís new to me. Anyways, Iím certainly delighted I found it and Iíll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!

  6. Good day! I simply want to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent information you have got right here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.

  7. This is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate infoÖ Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read post!

  8. Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!

  9. Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs
    I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always interesting to read through articles from other authors and use a little something from other sites.

  10. After I initially commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive four emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a way you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you!

  11. I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your web site. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A couple of my blog readers have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any solutions to help fix this problem?

  12. This is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate informationÖ Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!

  13. An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you ought to publish more about this subject, it might not be a taboo matter but typically people do not discuss these issues. To the next! Cheers!!

  14. An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually bought me lunch simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to talk about this subject here on your web page.

  15. Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam remarks? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.

  16. Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!

  17. always i used to read smaller content which as well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this post which I am reading here.Look at my weblog … abraham hicks marriage problems

  18. I truly love your site.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you make this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as Iím hoping to create my own personal blog and would love to learn where you got this from or what the theme is named. Thanks!

  19. I was very happy to uncover this web site. I need to to thank you for your time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely loved every part of it and i also have you saved to fav to check out new things on your website.

  20. Iím amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog thatís both educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I came across this in my hunt for something relating to this.

  21. I blog quite often and I seriously appreciate your content. This article has really peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed too.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *