How to Be Yourself

To truly be yourself, you have to accept yourself for who you are. Exuding self-confidence (but not too much) tells people that you like the person that you are. It makes you more interesting and attractive, and people will be intrigued and want to get to know you better.

Instructions

1. Consider yourself a person worth knowing and loving. This may mean having to get beyond past hurts to learn to love yourself and feel good about who you are.

2. Realize that your opinions, values and ideas have just as much merit as anyone's. Don't allow yourself to be swayed, in thought or in action, by those around you. You want to be you, not a conglomeration of everyone you know.

3. Avoid people who try to change you. They're subconsciously telling you that you aren't good enough the way you are, and you know better than that. Instead, surround yourself with people who like you just the way you are.

4. Be spontaneous. Don't overanalyze everything about yourself from your outfit to your hair. Speak freely without planning every sentence before you open your mouth. Just go with the flow, relax and enjoy yourself.

5. Resist trying to emulate someone you admire. You don't want to be someone else, you want to embrace who you are. It's OK to look to someone who possesses qualities you feel you are lacking to try and improve yourself, but don't try to be a carbon copy.

6. Remember that no one is perfect. You may look at people who seem so self-confident, who are surrounded by friends and who seem to have it all, and find yourself wondering what they have that you don't. But you don't know how they feel about themselves, what their problems might be. Focus instead on improving areas within yourself, and you'll feel more confident being yourself.