Stand on Your Own Two Feet

Cesky Krumlov, 2008

"In order to be happy, we must learn to think for ourselves
as well as to stand on our own two feet."
—Alexandra Stoddard

I love authentic people: the ones who dress like they want to, because it expresses them. The folks who say what they believe without being embarrassed or ashamed and without waiting to see what the general consensus is. It takes confidence to express who you are deep down. And it takes self-awareness. How can you stand for something, if you don't know where you stand?

Remember all the Seventeen quizzes to find out if you're a romantic, a trendsetter, a classic, or a diva? Remember taking the Color Code test? Have you got a fiery, bossy red personality, a sunny, cooperative yellow disposition, or a combination laid-back blue/natural green temperament? It's fun to discover ourselves.


Becoming authentic is one of my goals. Most of us arrive in adulthood with a desire to find out more about our true selves. Dig deep down and ask yourself:

1. What attracts me? What am I drawn to?
2. What excites me? What do I think about all day long?
3. Do I feel passionate about a hobby, cause, goal, belief, subject? Why?

Now take your new understanding of yourself and create a mission statement. It's not going to be written in blood, or published in the newspaper, so you have time to work on it, and make changes as you go along. Give yourself a few days to let it fall into place.

Outline yourself to yourself. Discover what means a lot to you, order your priorities, and how you'll include them in your realities.

I organize every project using this same idea.
In fact, I did it yesterday with some writing goals.

When my priorities are safely written down somewhere,
I don't waste brain space trying to remember everything.

I never beat myself up over my results. Each day will present decisions, and I'll have to compromise. But I remind myself that I thought this up, so I can make changes. What helps me most is having an actual plan to remember what my priorities are. Knowing who I am gives me balance, which helps when I stand on my own two feet.