It always seems like the messages in yoga resonate with me
more than any other forum. I don’t know if it is a heightened sense of
attentiveness that yoga creates or just being in a more relaxed and focused state
of mind. Whatever the reason, yoga leaves me feeling inspired very frequently.
Last Saturday was no different. It started out as a normal yoga class until the
teacher challenged us all. She said, “I want you to be unapologetically, you in
this class.” As soon as she said that it made me start thinking of the meaning
of that. In the context of yoga, she meant to not be afraid to do something
different than the rest of the class. If you wanted to take a pose a little
deeper than everybody, she encouraged you to do it. If you needed a break, she
encouraged you to take one. She went on to elaborate on the concept of being “unapologetically,
you” in a much deeper context. She talked about taking this concept out of the
yoga room and into our daily lives. She mentioned it probably 30 times
throughout the class. Each time it took on a deeper meaning to me. I
immediately wrote down the words, “unapologetically, you” after class in my
car. It is a very thought-provoking concept. What does that mean to you? How
can you be more of yourself each and every day? How do you become more of
yourself with no inhibitions or apologies to anyone?
There
are a lot of societal pressures for people to fit into a certain mold. To be a
certain person. If you are being unapologetically, you - you don’t care what
other people think. You know what makes you happy and are therefore pursuing
it. It implies decisiveness. You have decided what you want and you are taking
steps towards it. That is the ultimate success in life. Whether you want to be
a professional violinist, a UFC fighter, or an entrepreneur who builds
businesses and sells them. Why should you have to apologize for doing what you
want? I admire anyone who relentlessly chases down something that excites them.
It takes a lot of courage and often times, a lot of failures. Each failure is
an opportunity to dust yourself off and try again. Success always lies in
trying just one more time. At anything. The only person you should ever have to
apologize to is yourself. And only if you are not being true to the person that
you are meant to be. Don’t put yourself in that situation.
Give
yourself permission to be unapologetically, you. Not just today but every day.
Don’t apologize for pursuing a career that doesn’t align with your college
major. Don’t apologize for risking everything you have to start a mobile
recruiting app. Don’t apologize for giving up your career as a teacher to
travel the world helping underprivileged children. If it makes you happy, then
do it. Period. If it excites you. Do it. Don’t be scared of the possibility of
failure. You have the inner resources to recover. We will always regret the
things we were too afraid to try more than the things we have failed at. Make a
decision today. Decide to be yourself, unapologetically. To do that one thing
that scares you. Go speak in front of a large group. Go skydiving. Face your
fears head on. They are never as bad as we build them up in our heads. Be proud
to be – you.
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