Leave the crowd and be your authentic self

I came across this inspiring passage written by Brianna Wiest a few days back:

“Follow the vision that you find to be most meaningful and most worthwhile. Not the vision the world attempts to superimpose on your psyche with all the charms and emblems of a life-well-lived: a human being going through the motions with the expectation and assumption that joy will somehow find them along the way. Design your life to your own liking, your own standard, your own inner peace. Rather than basing your decisions on how things appear, base them on how they feel.”

Each of us must carve out time from our daily lives and contemplate on our inner inclinations. We must figure out the things that matter most to us and distill a philosophy for our lives that resonates most with us. Every human, to live a remarkable life, must gain clarity about how they want to live: what kind of lifestyle resonates most with them, what success and greatness mean to them, what their grandest dreams are, and what their biggest life looks like. They must meticulously craft a mission statement that they read every single day first thing in the morning. A statement that serves as a beacon and keeps them going in the right direction, that keeps them grounded to their core values and gently guides them to make meaningful choices in their day-to-day lives.

When we ask ourselves these deep questions, we become aware of what truly drives us and start walking on the path that most resonates with us. We fulfill our destiny. After all, clarity is the doorway to excellence.

Here’s the thing: We can either comply with the demands of social pressure, or we can express our uniqueness and live authentic lives. We can’t do both.

Is it scary? Yes. Does it get lonely? No doubt. But is it worth it? Absolutely. 100%.

Study the life of any remarkable and globally revered person, whether it be Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Walt Disney, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates. You will find that at some point in their life, they mustered the courage to break free from the status quo and take the road less traveled. They developed a thick skin, tuned out all public opinions, and simply let their heart take the driver’s seat. And in doing so, sure, they were disliked, ridiculed, and laughed at at first, but in the end, they struck gold and achieved a level of success they had never imagined.

As Robin Sharma guides, “It takes great strength to leave the crowd and be true to your original nature. But that’s what leadership is all about—leaving the crowd and being true to who you really are. Running your own race. Living your truth.”