It is easy to get caught up in the rat race of what everyone else does and wants in today's world. For example, people get told they need a particular job or car to be happy, but this couldn't be further from reality. To find success in business and life, you have to stay true to yourself and make decisions based on your values instead of society.

Showing your true self

A lot of us have probably heard the statement "be true to yourself" many times before. We probably heard it as advice from our friends, family, or personal coach or advisor, yet most of us have difficulty showing who we are to others. There's this urge to conform because it's as if society dictates some invisible rules. If you don't act or do a certain way, others will shun you and treat you as an outcast. If you're running a business and you're just copying what others do, chances are you might not find success. In life, not being authentic can prevent you from truly showing what you can and lead to a mediocre and unhappy life.

Many of us don't show our true selves because we are afraid to expose our vulnerability and weakness to others. The thing is, nobody's perfect. Yet, in today's world, people are fascinated with the idea of showing their ideal selves on social media and the Internet. As a result, authenticity gets lost among people. We have to go out there more and show our authentic selves. One can achieve integrity by accepting our strengths and weaknesses and building up the self-confidence needed to express ourselves. The earlier we can do this, the easier it will be to step out into the world as who we are.

What it means to be true and the benefits it can bring

Being true to yourself means having the ability to truly express your talents, skills, knowledge, and creativity. There are no two sides to a coin when it comes to your personality. You show your true self in the home, office, school, and public. There is no need to fake out. You're honest when you are speaking with others. You believe with all your heart what matters to you the most. Your personality shows in whatever you do.

So how can your business benefit from showing your true self? First, this allows you to stand out from the rest and gives you a unique edge from the competition. Second, your true self brings heart and soul into your business, so more connection is established with your customers. Lastly, you become more motivated to do things to help you achieve success by being who you indeed are. For example, suppose you want to establish a YouTube channel as your business. You're going to have difficulty setting yourself by copying others because there are so many YouTubers out there already. Instead, try to find a niche, focus on what you are good at, and show the real you. Success is not immediately guaranteed, but you will have better chances of being successful by being unique.

Time, persistence, and consistency

When you're running a business or just going through life, being true to yourself is just the first step to success. Once you have laid out the plans and the actions you will take, remember that it takes time before achieving success. There will be obstacles and failures along the way, but don't let these stop you and continue moving forward. Be persistent in what you do and maintain consistency. Get help from others when you are down and don't take it all by yourself.

Being different takes courage.

By showing the real you, expect that there will be people who will be good to you and those who will hate you. Ignore the haters. Focus on those who are loyal and pleasing to you, the people who appreciate your actual value. Continuously improve and build up your business or life along with the good people. Some people think making an impact with thousands or millions of people is the thing to do. Instead of casting a net to catch fish on a lake, cast your net first on a pond. Having a solid number of followers and clients is what would establish your business. Once you have your core group, then you can start aiming for a bigger audience from there.

In the process of growing your business or your life, you will get advice from many people. A good number of them will discourage you from what you are doing by being the real you. Some of them will also tell you to do things according to society's standards and deemed correct. Of course, you could always listen to them out of respect, but in the end, it's you who will decide if you will take their advice or not. If you know who you are, you can discern which aspects of others' advice will benefit you and which are the wrong ones. Ultimately, you will create your path if you have a strong understanding of yourself.

The path less traveled

The reason why many people don't take the path less traveled is because of fear of failure. Many people take the standard approach because it is safe, which everybody else is doing anyway. Money can also be a factor since it can be risky to take a different path to ruin your life financially. But what if you have the resources and money, and you're still working on the safe route, and you're starting to have feelings of unfulfillment in what you are doing? Maybe it's time for some change and towards something different, to a path where our dreams lie? Sometimes, all it takes is our gut feeling to do something that will significantly change and impact our lives. It's up to us to listen to that inner voice and grab the opportunity.

Life gets better

If you think about it, every single person in this world is unique. We start to become the same when we imitate what somebody else is doing and how they do it. For example, five people can be running the same business of having a restaurant that serves American-style dishes, even having the same dishes on the menu. What can set them apart is how they do customer service, their facility's ambiance, how the dishes get cooked, and their names to call the dishes. Likewise, two people might have the same job as a data entry clerk in an office, but each person's true personality can impact how they do their work and what output they can bring. These are examples of things where a person's uniqueness and true personality can show.

Whether in business or life, it's a good idea to take a moment and do some soul-searching to figure out who we are. Please spend some time analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. We can always try to imitate someone else, but the happiness and success in life we are looking for might not be there. To live as our true selves can involve a lifestyle change, which can cause some people to be afraid. There could be a struggle and mistakes initially, but ultimately, we want to live a life free to do what we want and love. It's up to us to take the matter into our own hands and take action to be successful as who we are.