“This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; thou canst not then be false to any man.”
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Being true to yourself does not mean indulging or pampering yourself to the neglect of others; nor does it mean that whatever you believe is the right thing all the time. It simply means you’ll be better off as a person, a partner, and as a parent if you figure out what is important to you and then honestly direct your actions to match your beliefs. Plain and simple, it means acting with integrity.

Too many times, when dealing with others, we say yes to something we don’t really want to do, or something we deep down think is wrong. Then we passive-aggressively allow our actions and attitudes to make our displeasure very clear.

For instance, if you think your child is old enough to clean his own bathroom, then don’t clean it for him and then grumble and complain he isn’t responsible. Or, if you believe your spouse is being hurtful, but you claim everything is just “fine,” don’t get pouty because he’s not reading your real feelings.

Acting untrue to yourself takes much more mental and emotional energy than simply standing up for what you believe and holding your head up in the process.

Peace begins with pause,