Comments on: The ‘Just Be Yourself’ Cliche

By: Serginho

Serginho — Fri, 13 May 2011 02:17:25 +0000

“JBY” is horrible advice. Duh! We all know how to be ourselves. But for some of us, we have to step out of that in order to get results. If just being myself reliably got me the results I wanted, I wouldn’t need the advice in the first place.

Not only that, but I’m sorry, but saying that ‘JBY’ is some sort of codephrase for being authentic, etc., in nothing but a cop-out. If the advice is to be authentic (which OTOH I have no problem with), then say, “Be authentic”. Don’t make your advice any more difficult to follow than it needs to be.

By: Giovanna Garcia

Giovanna Garcia — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:28:59 +0000

Hi Glen
I found you from Amanda’s blog, and I loved the title. So glad I am here, great post. Just being you, that is all that we need to be. If we can’t be comfortable in our own skin, how can we ask others to be comfortable with us. I am what I am, Chinlish and all. And I love being me.
Thank you,
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action

By: Glen

Glen — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:17:58 +0000

Hey Ton,

Thanks! I haven’t tried vipassana meditation but I think I might if it is related to this kind of thing. I understand what you’re saying about it being hard to write about, sometimes our mind can’t portray or even begin to understand certain aspects of this!

By: Glen

Glen — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:16:39 +0000

Well said Amanda, thanks a lot for your comment. You’re right, life changes…a lot

By: Ton from Utrecht (NL)

Ton from Utrecht (NL) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:03:30 +0000

Good post indeed.
Vipassana meditation is quite powerful to get insight about self, about “core” etcetera.
That insight (as far as I’ve come) is something I can not easily write about, one reason being that it is NOT beliefs. What we can think about our “just being ourselves”, to get rid of the views, norms and conformity issues, are still beliefs.
And, as Glen has pointed out nicely, beliefs are NOT self.
In buddhism, by the way, it is understood there is no such thing as self.

By: Amanda Linehan

Amanda Linehan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:33:06 +0000

Hi Glen, I’m really glad you wrote this post because I find there is a lot of confusion about “being yourself.” I think your point about having a “core” that more or less is the authentic you is right on. I think that many people have very little idea about this “core” and finding it requires a lot of digging. But once you find even a piece of it, Life changes and becomes that much more meaningful. Thanks.

By: Glen

Glen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:32:25 +0000

You always have your best self within Peter

You’re so right, constant thinking is a huge drain on energy and this thinking can completely control our emotions.

Thanks for your comment!

By: Glen

Glen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:16:14 +0000

Thanks, I have no idea if this is spam (if it is I’ll remove the comment) – but you did add my site name so I’ll assume you added it manually!

By: Peter Levin

Peter Levin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:37:54 +0000

OMG! This thing of worrying what other people think about you is huge energy drainer. Intellectually I understand that it is stupid to think like that because this pretty much guarantee frustration because you give control someone else in this situation.

Well, that is probably one of the reasons to learn more about who we really are and not things we been impressed upon someone else.

I would probably say “Be Your Best Self”

By: Glen

Glen — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:09:41 +0000

Yep, well said Sunny! The unlearning is quite difficult, but of course, anything can come with practice