There's nothing quite like being free. It's the one thing each person truly desires; freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom of speech...the freedom to just be! Oftentimes we have been in bondage so long that we have made peace with the constraints that tie us down. We figure "this is just what life has dealt me" and settled for less, rejecting our birthright to be free. Living in freedom is the manifested evidence of being made whole.
Sis, you must know who you are. There have been many attacks on identity and agendas to force conformity to societal norms that if one has no true sense of self, you're prone to receive an image based on another's perception and not your own. Subtle introductions of this image desensitizes you from your authentic self because now you're looked at as the opposite from what society now deems "it". So how do you break from this mental captivity?
Spend time getting to know yourself. As we evolve, things we once enjoyed have also evolved. Sometimes we get stuck in what once was that we fail to embrace new, healthy patterns. Paul said when I was a child I spoke, understood, and reasoned as a child, but when I matured I put childish things away (1 Cor 13:11). This is called growth. Look back at the person you used to be and reference it to the person you are today. Is there evidence of growth? Is there a change in your behavior, speech, or understanding? What are some life changes that have molded you in the last 3 months? 12 months? 5 years? 10 years?
Stop people pleasing. It's one thing to enjoy serving and helping people, and another to sacrifice your well-being for the sake of serving another because you're trying to fill a void. This goes back to being whole. If you feel obligated to consistently please others for affirmation, look into what is causing you to feel that way. What emotional void may be holding that behavior in place?
Understand that you are the standard. There is only one you! Your personality, quirkiness, passion, beauty, voice, and so much more is unique and individual. No one has the same personality, maybe some characteristics are similar, but when you dissect it down to your very soul, you are original and therefore set the standard for you. Not everyone is going to get you, and it may be set up that way that they are just not meant to get you. Do not dilute yourself to make others feel comfortable. Let your light shine so bright that if those around you can't take it, they'll either get sunglasses or walk away.
