How to be Yourself in a World Full of Sheep

Individuality is something we see so rarely today; in fact, it is a lot more common to see people joining the crowd rather than going against the grain and being different. 

The issue with following the crowd, however, is that it leads to other people’s happiness, not ours. So all the while we neglect our own individual needs, we are unable to find real happiness. 

Find out how to be yourself in a world full of sheep, and fulfil your own desires. 

It’s Not What You Have, It’s Who You Are

Fulfilment doesn’t come from things, accomplishments, or how much money we have; it comes from a determination to live life in way that reflects who we are.

Cultures, trends, ideas, people, the internet – these are all things that attempt to influence us. In reality, these are not the things that make us who we are, even if we are led to believe so. And yet, we might look to these things to define us, and to paint a picture to the outside world about ourselves. In actual fact, the way we dress, the way we behave and even the way that we think, bears no resemblance to our inner identity. It is our soul (the true essence of our being) that makes us who we are. 

In order to stop following the crowd and to gain greater happiness, we must work towards fulfilling our inner needs, rather than paying our attention to the physical elements in our lives. 

You Can’t Win With Comparison

If you’ve ever spent any time comparing yourself to someone else (who hasn’t?!) you’ll understand when I say it’s a slippery road to misery. 

The biggest downside to comparing ourselves to others is that it pushes us further away from who we are. With each piece of somebody else we compare, we ridicule a part of ourselves. The very things that make us special become outshone by traits of another person.

It is only when we stop comparing ourselves to others, when we embrace every facet of what makes us who we are, and when we live life our way, that we become totally at ease in our own skin.

In order to stay true to ourselves, we have to stop believing that we aren’t good enough; we have to stop believing that other people are better than us, and we have to start celebrating what makes us unique.

We also have to be more selective about how we digest information on the internet. There’s no doubt that social media is a very influential platform, and not always for the right reasons. A lot of what is posted online is exaggerated or altered in some way, which sets an unrealistic standard that many people feel they must live up to. One might gain an idea of how they “should” look and how their lives “should” be based on a false pretence they have seen online. Of course this standard can never be reached, because it’s not achievable. 

There’s no need to compare ourselves to others or feel that we must change to please others, when we stop looking to other people’s lives for comparison, and we recognise our own uniqueness. When we value our own traits and inner values, the concern to be like others ceases to exist.

Don’t Be Afraid to Stand Out

Standing out in a world full of sheep is somewhat of a bold move. Seldom do we live by our own rules; probably too frightened to challenge the status quo. 

While being different can defy the expectations of others, who might presume we will behave in a certain way, living with the aim to please others, will only displease ourselves. For there is an inherent need within each of us to allow our inner light to shine, and to be honest with ourselves, despite other people’s views or expectations. 

Learn to be bold, to stand out amongst the crowd and to be comfortable with being you. Learn to love indifference and to admire yourself and others for going against the grain. But most importantly, learn to love yourself. True happiness happens when we stop caring what others think of us, and we choose to be exactly who we are.

You might also like to read, ‘If You Don’t Fit In, You’re Doing Something Right.’ 

 

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