Remaining True to Yourself

We all have that inner sense of knowing when we are making choices that are true to the person we are. When you stray off the course of what is right for you, you feel it. You may choose to ignore it and proceed anyway. But in retrospect (if you are honest with yourself), you can look back and see that it all started to go wrong when you went against who you are and what you believe.

My Second Son sat down and talked with me yesterday. He is 11 months into his business venture. Right from the start, he had a plan. He knew where he wanted to go and how he wanted to get there. Reality has thrown some curve balls his way, but each time something pulls him off course there is a strong sense of needing to correct that.

I listened to him, watched his body language and could feel the many ways that he was torn. He had a plan. But it went against an internal 'policy' that he has.

Being in business for yourself isn't for the weak of heart. You do what you have to do, to keep following your original plan. These are tests. They determine the next sequence of events which you will face.

He had a second issue at hand. It was part personal, part business. It had great potential to put him 'back on the radar' with a company which he had plans to work with at the onset of his business plan. Eleven months in, he was ready to remind them that he was the best man for their job. Business of a personal nature put him in a place where he was comfortable approaching them.

When we talked yesterday morning, the thoughts and ideas were hitting a crescendo. I had the feeling that he was ready to act. I was merely a sounding board.

By suppertime, he had confronted both issues head on. He had talked to both people/businesses that he had set out to do early in his day. The inner transformation was apparent with every breath he took. His mood lightened. He stood taller. His sense of humor returned. His confidence soared.

In reality, nothing had changed. The difference was ... that he acted. He set the wheels in motion for things to change from this point onward. He took control of a situation where he felt that he had lost control. He made decisions that ultimately reflected his need to stay true to himself.

Personally, I can look back and see when the decisions that I made went against what I knew to be true. I had to talk myself into believing my choices were right. There was a part of me that was trying to correct myself before I made the decision, but I forced that voice to be quiet. I didn't listen.

The more I live, the more I learn to believe in myself. To fight for myself. To make decisions that are right for me.

To be respected, you must respect yourself. You draw people and life experiences to you, which mirror the way you feel about yourself.

Life is so much easier to live, looking backwards. I'm sure that there are forks in the road ahead that will continue to challenge me into trying to go against what I know to be true. But if I remain true to myself, I will not fall far from the path I am travelling.

I'm enjoying the journey now that I'm on this road. I plan to stay here.