A TO Z CHALLENGE - Y FOR YOU ARE UNIQUE

#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and Y is for You are unique, nothing can replace you.

MY A-Z CHALLENGE - Y FOR YOU ARE UNIQUE

The next letter of my A to Zen of Life (via the Dalai Lama) is Y is for You are unique, nothing can replace "You". The world we live in tries to tell us how we should look, how we should think, how we should feel, and how we should behave. People are so busy trying to impress each other and trying to be what others expect, that they forget who they truly are - or maybe they never found out in the first place.

OWNING THE "REAL YOU"

Midlife has taught me that you lose yourself if you try to be all things to all people. If you squeeze yourself into a box that suits someone else but diminishes who you are then you lose every time. We are all unique and we all have so much to offer once we find our centre and ground ourselves in owning who we really are.

When you accept yourself and embrace your unique personality, you start to grow and flourish into the best possible version of you. You're not competing with others, you're not driving yourself to reach unattainable goals of movie star perfection. You are just being you and enjoying the journey. Life is short and becoming a cardboard cutout is not our ultimate aim - we should be aspiring to be so much more than that. Our 3D version is far more interesting than the 2D cutout.


Embracing your true self radiates a natural beauty that cannot be diluted or ignored. Confident, powerful, untamable, badass you!

BEING AUTHENTIC

Maybe it's time to start loving and respecting ourselves enough to be honest with who we are. It's time to stay true to our values and not be buffeted here and there by whichever breeze happens to blow our way. Starting today, let's be our authentic selves - you might find you like that person a whole lot more than you thought - I know I'm coming to like myself more now that I'm rediscovering who I truly am.

Once you work out who you really are, then you've finally drilled down to who the unique "You" is - there is nobody else like you and that is something to own and be proud of - one of a kind, unique, authentic, "You" - how fantastic is that?

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Have you figured out who you are yet? Are you embracing the unique person you are, or are you hiding behind a mask? Maybe it's time to step away from the expectations of others and enjoy just being yourself.



#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and Y is for You are unique, nothing can replace you.


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#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and I'm tackling the A to Zen of Life (via the Dalai Lama)

38 comments

  1. Hari OM
    Couldn't agree more! Was very fortunate in being able to find the individual 'me' quite early on... then the rest kinda took care of itself. YAM xx

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  2. I've said before that I "lost" myself during my marriage and while raising the kids but I didn't even know I was lost until our youngest was in her senior year of high school and not needing me as much. That's when I realized that I was "missing" and started the process of "finding" myself. I'm finally at a place now where I am much happier with me! Great insights here!

    Janet’s Smiles

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  3. I think being true to who you are actually gets easier as you get older at least that has been my experience. Weekends In Maine

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  4. Hi, Leanne - I agree that being true to ourselves gets easier in mid-life, especially in retirement. At all other stages of my life I needed to perform a certain role (student, teacher, Principal....). I feel that these expectations have been lifted in retirement. Either that...or I did not get the memo!

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  5. I think I've become more true to myself in recent years. I found it difficult when raising a family and running a business. I think I became lost for a while in the midst of all that had to be done

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  6. Hi Leanne we are on the same wavelength again! Being true to ourselves isn’t easy sometimes but also realizing that we are all unique and special in our own way brings contentment and happiness

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  7. This is a great reminder about how important it is to be our authentic selves. When I was younger I was easily pushed around and used to go along with what other people wanted, but now I'm much more assertive and not afraid to speak my mind. Sometimes we try to hard to fit in with others but it's great that we're all unique and we all bring different skills and qualities to the table.

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  8. I'm still on the quest for the 3-D version, Leanne, and genuinely appreciate the encouragement, support and insights of posts like yours.

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  9. I am well on my way on this journey...but the place I began was so far away from authentic that I've still got a long way to go. Thank you for the encouragement. Melanie's Stories

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  10. I moved a lot as a kid so I think I came to terms with being ‘me’ relatively early. I remember having the conversation with each of our kids around middle school and choosing between doing what makes you happy or doing things you hate just to be like everyone else. It’s a difficult talk but ultimately an important one and I can see them living that philosophy today.

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  12. Loved this one... We are all ubique..

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  13. So true. Being one's true self is a lifelong process, and one well worth the effort. I am writing a you post too. We are so predictable. LOL. Hey we have almost made it through the challenge! Are you celebrating yet?

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  14. I like that quote, "Confident, powerful, untameable, badass you!" Aw, if it were only so easy to really find yourself. It has taken me years and I'm still working on it.

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  15. One of the wonderful things about the early senior years is knowing who you are - and rejecting those who try to change you into someone you are not. I don't know if I am always confident, or a badass (because I am also about as introverted as one can get), but it happens a lot more than even five years ago - like, in a way, I have something to lose. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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  16. I think you make a good point about not competing with others. I have played the comparison game for much of my life - wanting to be as outgoing as others, as funny, as well spoken. It has meant I envy others and try to compete rather than just being happy for them and accepting I may not have the same strengths. I know this is not the response God wants me to have - He wants me to be content with the things he has given me and the things he hasn't, including personality traits! Thanks for the reminder to be seeking this contentment :-).

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  17. I'm playing catchup...sorry I have been out of the AtoZ picture on commenting. Life and family illness has taken precedence. I have to say that everyone of your posts have been inspirational and so well thought out with your personal experiences and growth. This Letter Y has a message that everyone can relate to at any age. Thank-you for being such a loyal reader and commenter during this challenge. I've enjoyed your comments!

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  18. I am so glad that I spent years as a single woman before opting to marry. It really helped me figure out not just my likes or dislikes, but how I handle different situations. Solitude is marvelous for finding YOU!

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  19. still in the discovery- still playing with the form - still making it up as I go along - certainly as I have entered the mature years so much that hasnt been required or needed or of use has dropped away.
    for the most part I like me and honour this uniqueness I am -

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  20. Diversity is one of the recurring themes in my life, I am fascinated by it. The blogosphere is a great example of how unique people are. I like to think of people as snowflakes (and I don't mean that in the political sense, but considering the fact that not one is alike!)

    Enjoy your weekend, see you tomorrow for the last letter!

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  21. Good, inspirational post. Particularly liked the last bit.
    Indeed, we must look within and find the real me. That brings along self-esteem and self-confidence, that can power us forward.

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  22. You did a wonderful job coming up with titles and topics for the A to Z challenge! I enjoyed following you and reading your inspirational words through the month. Thank you for a month full of wisdom and insgight!

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  23. Yes - I lost myself after years of being everything to everyone ... except me! It wasn't until a crisis where I hit rock bottom and had to rebuild that I knew I had lost myself and in fact didn't even know who I was or what I liked to do. Since 2012 I have been on a journey of discovery and my blog has very much helped me along the way. I know myself a lot more now but there is always more to discover. xo

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  24. The big advantage of the mid-life is to take a good look at who and where you are ....and to realise that to be the YOU you need and want to be, you need to take that step to do so yourself. More power to us! Thank you for link up. Denyse x

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  25. Leanne, I never realized how much work it was being "that person" until I stopped and became me! I don't think I've lost any friends so all that work for nothing! Have to wonder who it was for... certainly not my close circle! :-)

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  26. It's fantastic to be authentic and unique. Congratulations, Leanne, on finishing your A to Z Challenge! Thanks again for hosting the MLSTL link up.

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  27. Hi Leanne, I've previously commented but thanks for co-hosting #MLSTL and I've shared everywhere!

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  28. I loved the lead photo - it's just so full of vibrancy and colour and depicts your topic exactly. I totally agree with your sentiment ... "When you accept yourself and embrace your unique personality, you start to grow and flourish into the best possible version of you. You're not competing with others, you're not driving yourself to reach the unatainable."

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  29. I love this post Leanne, and you are so right. The whole world seems so much brighter when we can allow ourself to be authentic. It isn't always an easy transition, there is so much noise out there about what we should be but it is way too stressful to try and be someone else. I have learnt to quite like myself, flaws and all. Thanks for this lovely link up. Sharing this post xx

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  30. I absolutely loved this when I read it earlier Leanne, but couldn't comment from my phone at the time. I'm trying hard to be my authentic self and I'm quite happy with where I am at the moment. I'm definitely unique :) Have pinned all your A-Z posts in my Embracing Midlife board on Pinterest #mlstl

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  31. I definitely got lost along the way, it seemed to happen soon after I had my children. But now that they are grown, I have really been enjoying getting to know myself again.

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  32. I think the older I have gotten the more authentic I have become. I am who I am and don't worry about fitting in or going with the group if I don't want to.

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  33. I love this Leanne. Too many times we try to be too many things for others, when we should be true to ourselves and just be. Thank you for sharing this. Truly an inspiration.

    Bren

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  34. I've been working a lot on this in the past few years. Why did it take until midlife? I feel like I wasted a lot of years not being my real self. Better late than never!

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  35. Well said Leanne. I love the comment that if you are being authentic to your unique self, you're not competing with anyone else. How wonderful would that be if we all quit measuring ourselves against each other, if no one was better and no one was worse, but we were each our own unique best selves? Thanks for sharing this post on #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty.

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  36. Hi! I'm back. I love the line "If you squeeze yourself into a box that suits someone else but diminishes who you are then you lose every time." We know it and yet we fall into that trap every now and again. I had read this lovely post during the A to Z but somehow missed commenting on it. I had also have written a post for the midlife linky party but didn't post it on time. Well there's always next week and I can enjoy reading.

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  37. What a great thought that our 3D self is better than a 2D cutout! I agree! We need to be free to be our unique selves instead of trying to be what we think others want to see.

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