So you’ve been told more than once to just be yourself, but what does that even mean? And do you really know who your real self is?

Around 2012, I was doing an inventory of my privileged middle class life and I discovered I was an ideal candidate for happiness. I had a postgraduate degree from a reputable university and a profession that paid the bills and looked good on LinkedIn. I had a loving family, was not on drugs or into crime and I had never had a traffic infringement (that I didn’t pay). By all intents and purposes, I had delivered society’s expectations on budget and masterfully on spec and yet I was annoyingly dissatisfied, which, it turns out, was also on spec.

 So I went to counselling, exercised, confided in friends, practiced gratitude and joined a band. I quit work, then got bored and went back. I did that five times. I took the family to live in Asia, studied Buddhism, learned to speak Thai. I enrolled in a 3 day meditation retreat which I left after 24 hours because I couldn't hack it. 

But ten years later, I was still sitting at a desk in a government office wishing for something different. The government is not where you go if you want your sense of humour appreciated. It is also not a safe space to unleash your personal flavour of creativity, set your own boundaries, or express your big feelings. In fact, the government doesn’t even feature in the top 100 places a person is most likely to find spiritual enlightenment. I spent 20 years going there every day to learn that valuable lesson.

So in November 2023, I left my job as an IT professional to use my own life as an experiment to find out what happens when you give yourself permission to be your authentic self.

So how’s that turning out for me so far? 

I thought I’d just be kicking back and enjoying the sunshine, but the universe had other plans. And before I could even be my authentic self, I had to get up close and personal with my fear of that person. And of being lazy, and of not having enough money, and of embarrassing my family, and of missing out, and of not being liked, my God, the list went on and on and on. Who knew I had so many hang ups?

But one year on, I also wouldn’t have guessed I’d have written and published a book and set up a YouTube channel that pokes fun at the very societal norms that kept me stuck in my old life for so long. And, I’m now so much braver, happier and emotionally intelligent because of it all. Regardless of all those pesky hang ups. Probably even because of them.

Surprising things happen when you muster the nerve to stop trying to control everything in your life and you hand the steering wheel over to the universe.

So come and join me as I continue my exploration into living my truth and what it really takes to just be yourself. Like, really be yourself. Read my book, watch a video or two, connect with me on Instagram and see where Your Light Side takes you.