How to Be Unabashedly You

Teal Thompson

Teal teaches The Avatar® Course, an international self-empowerment program on how to create your life deliberately.

INSTAGRAM: @tealthompson | tealthompson.com

A trending topic today is how we can stay true to ourselves with so much opportunity to compare ourselves to others on social media. It’s incredibly tempting to believe that everyone else is living the ideal life based on what we see. Social media can spark the fear of missing out (FOMO). Comparison can sabotage our self-confidence and invite us to diminish the unique piece we add to the world. We are inundated with pretty pictures, beautifully scripted words and vistas from epic places from around the globe that can leave us feeling like we are not enough. “If only I had what they had or was doing what they’re doing, then I’d be… (fill in the blank: happy, satisfied, accomplished...).” But, guess what? There is, literally, no other YOU out there. So embrace who you are and be unabashedly you. How do we do this?

Get To Know Yourself

Take personal growth courses and/or read insightful books that will help you discover who you truly are. Know your values and priorities, and get in touch with your current goals and dreams. What are you heading toward? What are you excited to create? When we know what’s important to us, we can align our choices to achieve what we most desire. It’s empowering to take steps, even small steps, in the direction of our dreams. Every time we get into action with our goals and stay true to our course, we feel more confident, encouraged and enlivened.

Follow Your Intuition

You know that subtle voice within that says, “Go this way” or “Call so-and-so right now”? That’s our intuition. Then the person you called says, “I was just thinking about you.” When we act on our intuition, we again feel more confident and energized. It’s the feeling of “I knew it!” It’s a sense of knowing beyond the considerations of the mind. We just know. The more we follow our intuition, the more connected we become to ourselves and to the world around us. It’s easy to be ourselves when we operate from our intuition because there is no need to monitor what we’re doing or saying; we just know it’s the right thing. What steps are you taking to cultivate mindfulness and a deeper connection with yourself where you can hear your intuition more often?

Do What Lights You Up

When we do what lights us up, what we love, we come into alignment with our best selves. It elevates us. We shine and our essence comes out to play. We become magnetic, and people are attracted to this energy.

Do at least one thing a day that lights you up, such as:

• Watch a sunrise or sunset with your favorite person

• Go for a run in a gorgeous park

• Create art

• Make music

• Draw a luscious bath

• Dance your butt off

• Do a random act of kindness

• Travel to a foreign country and treat every day as an adventure

• Volunteer for your favorite organization

• Connect with your best friend at an inspiring coffee shop

• Attend a TED talk in your city