January 22, 2021

Be yourself

 People say … “be yourself”… it is a very common phrase and I am sure you have heard it many times.

So what is “be yourself”?

There are many ideas on how to “be yourself" and we all have a different approaches. I am not sure about how others do it … as long as they are happy being “themselves” and not breaking the laws, I am happy for them.

For me, one very important aspect of “be yourself” is … be who you REALLY are.

What do I mean?

OK, whether you are a CEO or MD or FD or some big corporate shots … whether you are a Datuk Seri or Tan Sri or BOSS or whatever … that is NOT you!

So, DROP your crown, your titles, your recognitions and whatever … don’t let yourself be carried away. Be the father or mother … be the husband or wife … be the son or daughter … be the brother or sister or just be the friend ... be who you really are.

You may be a CEO but when the sink is leaking … no worries, out comes the toolbox and you are happy to get your hands dirty. Why? Because you are just being father or a husband.

Maybe you are a hot shot sexy lawyer … ran out of salt at home? No problem at all … hop into the car and head straight to the grocery store. Why you do it? Because you like being who you really are … a mother or a wife.

YES, it is that simple … just be yourself. 

If you like to dance, dance ... or if you want to sing, sing … you may not be good at it but you do it because you like it. People may even laugh at you ... even talk about you at your back. Well, you know what … those who talk about you at your back, that is where they will always be … at your back!

It is perfectly OK to be foolish every now and then … that is the fun part in life. What you do is NOT TO SHOW … it is more TO SHARE. It might be something small, something simple or something foolish even, but you do it because you are just being yourself.

You don’t have to SHOW people that you know every damn thing and walk like you own the world … you walk like you DON’T CARE who owns the world … that, is really being yourself. Be the real you … do what you like and say what you feel. Don’t worry about what others think … those who mind, don’t matter and those who matter, don’t mind.

But the sad fact is … many don’t realize that they are doing things while wearing a mask to SHOW what they think others like to see … masks that are made of titles, recognitions, status and standings.

The danger is … when they wear that mask too often and too long … one day when they remove that mask and look into the mirror … they will not be able to recognize who they really are.