A Quick Lesson: Keeping It Real In Life!

Being true to yourself is not an easy thing to do in America!

It’s true: in this country, we’re judged by what we own, and what we do for a living … not who we are (note: you can thank the f-ing media for this phony bullshit)! That’s why it’s so hard to remain true to yourself … our whole freaking culture is based on competiveness, of which I don’t think is necessarily the worst thing in the world (our economy depends on it, after all) … it’s just the fact that we have been fully trained to define everyone as either winners or losers (“I don’t do that,” you say? Bullshit to that lie!). “He’s a janitor, so he must be a loser,” or, “He’s a Fortune 500 CEO, so he must be a winner,” is the kind of phony s@#t we’re taught to scream from the rooftops, all parrot-like!

It’s true (whether you want to admit it or not): we’re all guilty of judging people based on how they look, what cars they drive or the friends that they have! Here’s a question: have you ever been nervous to approach a person because they have a better job title than you? Sure you have! Have you ever avoided someone because they looked homeless? You better say “yes”! Well, judging others based on this irrelevant s@#t is kind of inevitable, so don’t feel bad since we all do it from time to time! Hey, it’s the first thing we see, right? However, I think some of us are really abusing the freaking system!

In a perfect world, we would really judge people based on the contents of their character (or not judging at all, for that matter). I think the more we practice doing this, the more comfortable we become with ourselves. The more we accept ourselves, the more we accept others as well. Because the truth is, the level of your happiness is exactly proportional to the amount you’ve sold yourself out, and on the opposite side of the coin: the amount of contentment you experience is directly related to how authentically you’re living (you know this right?).

Think about this: When we are born, we’re completely authentic. We’re wild. We think, but not in symbols (words). We know what’s right and wrong, but it’s not based on knowledge. It’s based on our integrity. However, as we grow up, we’re taught (through language) what’s right and what’s wrong. What’s acceptable and what isn’t. We start to think of the world in symbols. Instead of experiencing life directly, we have series of thoughts and judgments about it. Thinking is essential to our success as humans and much of our lives depend on it. It’s allowed us to build cities, create technology and all sorts of conveniences.

The problem, however, is that we’re judging everything! We judge ourselves. We judge the things we do right and the things we do wrong. We start to want everything we do to be right, so we create an image of perfection. This is why it’s not easy to be authentic anymore. You have to be able to take some harsh criticism sometimes. That’s because authenticity isn’t popular; “fitting in” is. But have you ever noticed the most successful, admired people are the ones who have vehemently gone against the grain? Those that have blazed their own trail and followed their own path? I’ve noticed this. That’s who I want to become … in my heart, I mean!

Ok, we all do things to please others … this is only natural! What isn’t natural is living your life based on the expectations of others and society as a whole. If you can stop giving a s@#t about what other people think, your happiness will increase exponentially. This means having the courage to be corky, embracing your inner geek and be brave enough to just be weird. What one person thinks is weird is completely normal to someone else. It’s all about perspective. So work toward your own goals and not to further someone else’s agenda. It’s true that everyone wants to be liked, but if you can’t be happy without dressing in the latest fashion, or driving a Mercedes, well then that’s a serious problem that you need to fix … fast!

Integrity, conscience, intuition … call it whatever you like, as long as you’re listening to it! Whenever you make a decision, follow it. This seems like such common sense, that it’s not even worth mentioning, but the simple truth is that we have a tendency to sell out our feelings, and it needs to stop … we all need to start living much more authentically, because that’s when life gets fun again (trust me on this one).

Just remember this, if nothing else: never sell yourself out to be more popular … as it’s never the right thing to do! Now go out and be real … real happy to yourself that is! Yea, yea … you’re welcome!