Be Who You Are

A few years ago, I decided to call the subtitle of my GirlPower program “Be Who You Are”, As I reflect on this mantra, my question to you is, do you always know who you are?  Do you act intuitively when making decisions or do you find yourself looking for affirmation elsewhere?  For the most part, I feel I live my life authentically, doing what I love for work, being with supportive, compassionate people, finding creative outlets that resonate with my inner self. However, I must admit, I still look at The NY Times Bestseller lists when choosing books, Trip Advisors when choosing hotels and reviews of restaurants on Open Table before making a reservation.  Perhaps these lists increase the odds of finding a great experience but truthfully, how do we not know that family members and staff didn’t flood these sources with positive reviews or conversely, criticize competition to elevate their own selection.  What if we just walked into a library and chose a book based on a cool cover or its title? What if we went to a concert whose performers we knew nothing about just to hear something unique? What if we went to an unfamiliar restaurant in an unfamiliar town? What if we went out with a new acquaintance to learn something different about humanity? How often does this happen in our lives where we choose the unexpected?

Some decisions we make are more important, or have more impact on our future, such as where we go to school or where we work. How often do we consult US News & World Report to see which colleges are the “best” or “most selective” to decide which ones are the best for our children to attend, or Boston Magazine or Forbes to decide where we should work? I am not saying these lists aren’t useful at some level; but I am saying that no one size fits all, and if we make important decisions based on lists, we are discounting a whole array of possible options which could be equally as good or better, less stressful, and more unique or intriguing. I have learned this through life experience, and yet I still fall into the list trap on occasion. However, my goal is through educating and bringing awareness to others through multidimensional experiences, I can help to guide us all toward being truer to who we actually are and what we really want.