Posted on by Adam

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.”

2,563 Replies to “Stop Being Yourself.”

  10. Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.

  15. I am also writing to make you understand what a superb experience our princess undergone viewing yuor web blog. She picked up such a lot of things, with the inclusion of what it is like to possess an ideal teaching style to make the others without hassle thoroughly grasp specified tricky topics. You undoubtedly surpassed visitors’ expected results. Thanks for showing those valuable, trustworthy, revealing not to mention unique tips on your topic to Sandra.

  16. I’m just commenting to let you be aware of of the exceptional discovery my cousin’s daughter enjoyed going through your blog. She discovered lots of issues, most notably how it is like to have a very effective giving heart to have many more effortlessly fully understand certain extremely tough matters. You really did more than my desires. Many thanks for displaying the helpful, healthy, educational and also easy thoughts on the topic to Gloria.

  18. I am really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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