You be you

“The beauty of us lies in our vulnerability, our complex emotions, and our authentic imperfections. When we embrace who we are and decide to be authentic, instead of who we think others want us to be, we open ourselves up to real relationships, real happiness, and real success.” ~Marc & Angel Hack Life 

Some readers would never get caught browsing in the “self-help” section. It’s a lot cooler, after all, to tell people you’re reading the last of Thoreau’s essays or Shakespeare’s comedies while you’re finishing a good mystery novel.

But I promise there’s some beneficial self-help material out there, in books and online. If, like me, you find that life can get baffling or complicated — or that other people are baffling and complicated — you’ll find some useful nuggets of guidance in Marc & Angel Hack Life.

Last week’s post, “Six Good Reasons to Stop Waiting for Approval from Everyone Else,” hit home with me. I spent the first part of my life doing everything I could to make everyone happy — all at the same time. My parents paid for my education and I wanted to show them I could succeed as a writer; I wanted to prove to my husband that I could be a fabulous wife and mother; I wanted my child to be happy and healthy; I wanted a perfectly clean house. I wanted to impress my editors and publishers and probably everyone else in the community. And did I mention I was always exhausted?

Even the most well-intentioned folks who love us don’t always know how or when to tell us we’re being ridiculous. Eventually, I learned to go easier on myself — and it’s because self-help writers like Marc and Angel Chernoff (and those on the path years before them) gave me permission to ask myself how I wanted my own life to look. ~CL