Dare To Be An Original and True To Yourself

Umair Khan
4 min readApr 21, 2021

When you have the nerve to be original, what you are trying to do is to become who you are truly born to be. Most of us find this experience challenging and why does it seem to be a difficult scheme for us? The reason is not far-fetched, it entails putting ourselves on the line. It is an act of making ourselves to thorough analysis, opinion sampling and scorn from people around us. It is a process that makes us vulnerable and exposed to a lot of things.

Without mincing words, being in the comfort zone does not require hard work. You only need to align with the crowd and suppress your opinion in a bid to avoid criticism. However, the disadvantage is that your potential will not be fulfilled as you are complacent and live a boring life.

If you dare to be an original, you need self-confidence and courage to expose your distinct features and characteristics. On the other hand, the benefits of triumphing over barriers are higher than giving up or not fighting for your life.

In his speech at a Stanford University graduation ceremony, the Late Steve Jobs said:

“Do not waste your limited time living the life of someone else. Avoid being trapped by dogma, which entails living your life with the results of the thinking of other individuals around you. Ensure your inner voice is not suppressed by the opinions of other people. Most importantly, follow your heart and intuition religiously. In most cases, your heart and intuition know what you want to become. Every other thing is not as important as following your heart.

The assertion about the speech is valid. Life is too short to live other people’s lives. Be who you are, and be it the best way you know how. Make sure you showcase your unique traits and be proud of who you are. Dare to be an original of yourself.

Tips on how to be an original or your true self:

Know yourself. You must know yourself and stay true to your values before you can be yourself. Years ago, the great philosopher, Socrates said the pillar of all virtue is self-knowledge.

Learn to Trust your intuition and instincts. Trusting your instinct and intuition forms a big part of knowing yourself. Each of us has an inner yardstick that serves as guidance on our path to fulfilment. Look inwards to search for the answers to your life. You are the only one who understands what you desire from life. However, it is not a bad idea to listen to the suggestions of your close associates, family members and professionals, but the final decision must be taken by you. If you do not adhere to your intuition, you are working against your source of satisfaction and original nature.

Develop Your Unique Style, Personality and Tastes. Most individuals want to be like celebrities they see on TV. Instead of working on their personal development, they pay attention to copying others and lose themselves while at it. Pursuits of this nature waste your time and make you feel inadequate in the end. When you focus on developing your style, personality, and taste, it portrays you as an attractive person to other people. Embrace your unique traits and eliminate fear and ensure you live your life as an expression of who you are truly created to be.

Steve Jobs advised that you should possess the courage to follow your heart. If your intuition aligns with you being an artist, do not become an accountant because your parents like you being an accountant or for money sake. Going against your intuition will lead to a depressed life and your money will be useless when you find yourself at this point.

Believe in yourself and don’t bother about the opinion of others. Make sure you do not allow the opinions of people around you distract you when you choose the right path for yourself. Most individuals are fond of offering voluntary advice but always remember that you are in charge of your life. Avoid being a mediocre and do not allow the absence of self-confidence ruin your chances of pursuing your dreams. Work on eliminating your personal insecurities and inadequacies as it holds the key to your happiness and fulfillment in life. Be yourself and be proud of your personality. Individuals who believe in themselves tend to live a fulfilled life. When you dare to be different, you are strong, bold and ready to attain the full potential of your distinct God-given talents and skills.

The Benefits of Being an Original:

Originally published at http://iumairkhan.com on April 21, 2021.

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Umair Khan

I am a 29-year-old business strategist based in Singapore. I am the Head of B3Networks Academy at B3Networks and blog owner/writer at iumairkhan.com