Imagine if you were given a pen and a piece of paper. You’ve been asked to list your weaknesses – the personality traits you thought were undesirable. How many would you list? Would you list the fact that you’re too afraid to be who you are, too sensitive, or lacking self-confidence? 7 years ago, I would have listed just that. But in such a short space of time, I’ve learned how to be a better person.
Personality, or character traits, are adjectives describing who we are as people. Some of us are introverted as opposed to extroverted; some of us are generous as opposed to selfish. But what all of us have in common is our desire to be a better person. And this is something we can all learn to be.
From a young age, I’ve been afraid to be myself. I’ve refrained from voicing my opinion in fear of being ridiculed; I’ve believed that my views weren’t worth listening to. But then I decided to stop living my life for others, I started living life for myself. I started answering questions in University, I enquired about things I didn’t understand, and I didn’t worry so much about what others thought. I even learned to handle constructive criticism more effectively. The closer I’ve gotten to being myself, the more liberated I have felt along the way.
I have even learned to be more confident in my own skin. Seven years ago, I would never have bought a pair of purple-coloured glasses like these. I would have rambled on about how stood out too much; I would have reasoned that they drew too much attention to my face.
But I’ve gone through many changes. I’m not the same person I was seven years ago. I’m proud of who I am, I feel wiser when I receive constructive criticism, and I have confidence in myself.
All of us have weaknesses. All of us have aspects of ourselves that we dislike. But personality traits can change. We can change. Just like any sort of learning in life, it takes time and practise. We need to put in the hard work and determination to get better.
Learning to be a better person can happen through the mistakes we make, the people we meet in life, and our determination to get better. It is an ongoing process – it takes time.
But we can all be better people. It’s just about learning how to be one.
Thuy Wood (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer, resume/cover letter writer and Youth Worker living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.
So true Thuy. I followed you over from your guest post on the Change your thoughts blog. Bravo on your insights and the way you decided to live your life by being who you really are. 🙂
Hi Justin,
Thank you, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster journey for me. Being able to feel comfortable in your own skin is something everyone struggles with. But when we are able to truly be ourselves, we can feel truly happy.
Thanks for following me over from the guest post, I’ll definitely see you around! 🙂
Thuy, it is a great feeling when we stop worrying about what others think about us, isn’t it? So freeing!
How lucky you are to have learned this great secret at your age. Heck. It took me 45 years.
Quick reframe: It’s great that I get to enjoy this freedom for the next 35 years.
Your smile shows through your words.
P.S. I also followed you from your guest post on Change Your Thoughts.
Hi Wendy,
Yes it is a great feeling when we stop worrying what others think. When I was in University, I found that the more extroverted I was, the more friendships I formed. That was when I knew that by being myself, I could make such a positive difference in the world.
Good for you for learning this secret – it’s never too late to be whoever we want to be!
Thank you for your lovely comments and thank you for following me from my guest post! 🙂
really liked your writting
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂