True to ourselves

This above all: to thine own self be true, 

and it must follow as the night the day, 

thou canst not then be false to any man

William Shakespeare

To thine own self be true. A grounding statement for those of us who get caught up in the storm of needs and feelings of others.

Listen to the self. What do we need? Are those needs getting met? What do we feel? What do we need to take care of our feelings? What are our feelings telling us about ourselves and the direction we need to go?

What do want to do or say? What are our instincts telling us? Trust them, even if they don't make sense or meet other people's rules or expectations.

Sometimes, the demands of other people and our responsibilities toward others can create a tremendous complicated mess.

We can even convince ourselves that people-pleasing, going against our nature and not being honest, is the kind, honest thing to do.

Not true. Simplify. Back to basics. Let go of the confusion. By honoring and respecting ourselves, we will be true to those around us, even if we displease them momentarily. To thine own self be true. Simple words describing a powerful task that can put us back on track.

Chuck D., 2017