What Does it Mean to Live True To Your Self? The Short Answer

Excerpt from Living True To Your Self, by Walt F.J. GoodridgeHow I define living true to MY self

IT'S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, BUT...So, here I am, sitting on an Air China flight about to land in Beijing, People's Republic of China, where, in a few moments I'll be starting a new life adventure. Living true to my self. I just spent the last four years on the tropical island of Saipan, in the Pacific, enjoying sun, sand, sea and beautiful scenery. Living true to my self. Before that, I increased my belief level and my entrepreneurial skill set, walked away from my nine- to-five job, and escaped the rat race. Living true to my self.

What I'm doing is nothing special, really. Many people quit their jobs. Many people become entrepreneurs. Many people escape the rat race. I imagine there are others who have become nomadpreneurs. Many people escape to tropical islands because they worship sunshine. Many people travel to China. However, I think the subtle difference is that I didn't do it for the money. I didn't relocate to find or keep a job. I don't travel according to a tourist timetable or within the parameters of an "allowed vacation days" schedule. I do it all simply for the experience and the adventure. I do it for the freedom. I do it because it calls to my heart. I do it because it fulfills my personal definition of living true to my self.

WHAT IT IS NOTYou might think living true to my self means putting my needs and desires first--that it means me first, me only, me always, my way or the highway. That's just selfishness. As such, it would hardly be distinguishable from a self-indulgent focus on pleasure-seeking and immediate gratification.

It's quite the contrary, in fact. Living true to my self often means living true to the not-yet-manifested, future concept of my self. Such a commitment requires the ability to delay gratification, and instead focus on activities and practice behaviors that will bring that future concept of me into being.In other words, when I choose to fast this week, for instance, it's not because I wouldn't enjoy eating my favorite foods even more. It is because I am living true to creating the future, healthier me, and this requires the discipline to delay.

You might also think that living true to the self goes hand in hand with not caring what other people think. Right?

The truth is I do care. As someone who is committed to sharing my life for the benefit of others, I do care what others think and what they know about me. I do want them to know that I am living true to my self. I do care that they get the correct impression of who I am, and who I strive to be. I do care that I am seen as kind and compassionate among a host of other traits and attributes that are important to me.

That's the self-concept I wish to project to the outside world. What I do not care about, however, is how they judge my decision and my life. My life is what it is. I know it will inspire some, amuse others, and offend still even more.

The decisions I make are not made to stand out, or to please or annoy others.They are made to be true to my definition of my self, to what I believe is best for me and the achievement of my goals, and how I believe I need to live my life true. However, once made, I am aware those decisions do make me stand out, and that they do please some and annoy others, and that's okay. I am completely at peace with the effects of my thoughts, decisions and actions.

WHAT IT ISFor me, living true means recognizing those areas in my life with which I am dissatisfied, and then doing something about that dissatisfaction, and not allowing inertia or procrastination to keep me stagnant and settling for less.

For me, living true means identifying the aspects of my life that make me happy, and giving my self more of those.

For me, living true means constantly assessing both the dissatisfaction and the elation, and using them both to evolve towards my higher self.

For example, once I recognized that living in New York and working at a job that I hated felt like a slow death, no amount of money or status could keep me there. To stay would have been to condemn my self to unhappiness. That would not be living true to my self.

Therefore, in order to live true to my self, it is necessary that my choices--everything I believe, think, say and do--achieve the following:
They must support my survival.
They must help me in discovering who I am.
They must help me grow physically, mentally & spiritually.
They must help me perform my function.
They must help me fulfill my purpose for being here.
They must help me be creative.
They must provide a certain amount of fun and joy.
They must help me offer unconditional love to my self and others.

Therefore, for me, living true to my self may be defined as: "Making the daily choices in all areas of my life that are in the best interests of my survival, evolution and prosperity, that aid the ongoing achievement of the highest physical, mental and spiritual objectives of which I am capable, that are based on the most correct assessment of reality I have available, and that honor the evolving truth of who I am and who I choose to be, all in the personal pursuit of freedom, function, fun, as well as the highest good of all."