How to Stay True to Yourself:

Here’s what I mean by the “shoulds”..

Those who say:

• You should stop following your dreams, and settle for a good job.
• You should start thinking about getting married soon, you’re in your twenties.
• You should focus on becoming good at ONE thing only.
  – there’s no way you can follow all of your passions and dreams at the same time.
• You should go back to school and live the college life (parties etc;)
  -everyone is at school in their twenties, not building businesses.

I know those may be quite a lot, but they are real “SHOULDS” people have told me, or that I’ve felt myself from cultural expectations and society.

Sounds rough, but for many it’s true. Living to please others, or living for other people’s expectations can cause a lot of pressure in your life. Now, I’m not saying that all of the “shoulds” are necessarily bad, like you should wash your hands after you blow your nose, or after using the bathroom, those are acceptable “shoulds”.

It’s pretty easy to let expectations and “shoulds” sweep you from your TRUE self. And before you know it, you are no longer in control of you life because you automatically set your life on AUTOPILOT, not fully aware of certain choices you’re making and the reasons why.

How to stay true to yourself,
Ask yourself these 3 questions:
1. What’s one thing you’re doing right now, not because it’s true for you, but because you feel it’s expected from you?
2. What’s one courageous change you’d really like to make to be more true to yourself?
3. What’s the first action step you can take now?

These questions should help you get an understanding if you’re truly staying true to yourself, coming from a hispanic family, and from culture/traditional beliefs I know what it’s like to not stay true to yourself and getting lost in the “SHOULDS” and “EXPECTATIONS” of others. It is very important to stay true to yourself if you want to be happy, and live your best life. Don’t limit yourself, don’t lose yourself because of what you feel it’s expected from you, don’t forget to put yourself first. Feel free to reach out to me if you’re struggling with this certain area of your life, I’m here to help!

xoxo, Maria Garibay