๐๐๐i do try to keep it real! thank you for taking a read of this peice, one of my most special ones! and yessss, live the best life you can weather that means doing things that โscore pointsโ or doing things that donโt becuae you are the creator of your own life.
This really resonates. Being true to yourself is the foundation for anything solid youโre trying to build. When you stop performing and start aligning with who you actually are, the path forward becomes clearer. I like the jersey metaphor. Choosing your own jersey is a commitment to live from whatโs real, not what scores points. Thatโs where real momentum begins.
hi moe! i'm so glad this resonated with you and yesss i choose to write about this topic because too often we're obsessed with "scoring points" but 3, 5 years down the road, we wonder why we were doing it in the first place. you mentioned this resonates, do you have a story with this?
Personally, I have always been true to myself around others. I only need to impress myself. Iโve spent a lot of time interacting with people who werenโt being true to who they are, seeing the patterns and the quiet cost that comes with that really stuck with me. I have seen the toll it took on them. Itโs part of what made this topic feel important to explore.
wow that's in incredible trait to have. just being true to youreslf. for some reason, my brain can't comprehend that some peopple have always been like that becuase ive feel the opposite way. definately such an important topic to explore and im glad we took the time to discuss :)
This is actually why Iโm not very social and only have acquaintances, and I am okay with that. Over time, Iโve noticed that being authentic can make most people uncomfortable because it quietly reflects what they havenโt faced in themselves. Yes, a very important topic, thank you.
so truee, itโs kind of a social norm to pretend and adapt a version of yourself that is socially acceptable! i hadnโt realized this before. soo glad to have found so many friends who get me on this app
tysm. this is the only platform where i can find so many friends that are so real. i canโt see you but i see you and i hope we can do that for each other :)
On Jungian terms it's everybody's own mask for managing the world around them โ Persona โ and it's getting quite dangerous when you lean on too much using itโ out of social performance or survival...
My old Chicago Bulls jersey with a twist it's not what you've expected instead of the GOAT(which I love very much) mine had "Rodman" on the back and I never crossed in any match wearing the same jersey... His competence in the field or authentic style of being was โsomehowโ always made difference
I really love how you brought in Jung and Rodman here โ both are such perfect examples of how a persona can be powerful but also risky when it starts running the show. Itโs interesting how even a jersey can feel like armor or a mask we put on to face the world, and your Rodman story makes me want to ask where my โperformanceโ ends and the real me begins.
Maybe we donโt have to define it all together and let it stay messy. Nevertheless, we can try to stay true to ourselves in present and in time the borders can reveal themselves along the way.
woww, such profound words. you're right, there is a beauty in the unknown and the need to define things is what ruins the definitions themselves. but when you do figure it out, i'm curious what you find. keep me posted and i'll do the same!
so well put!! I think in our very individualistic era we are all so pressured to create a perfect persona to commodify ourselves - especially women!! Your point at the end is so lovely! (also my favourite movie is also pride and prejuice which is completely beside the point! ahaha)
๐๐๐ interesting connection to individualim. in this era where everyone is looksmaxxing and trying to optimize themselves, i feel like iโve fallen into not even know why im doing it. looking better, thatโs cool. but feeling at peace w/ myself, thatโs the goal. and we shouldnโt forget that!
heyyy nidhi, im so glad you connected with this peice. i just looked over some of your pieces and this line โi know i am loved but it doesnโt seep through the cracks in my faith.โ really stuck with me. i love what youโre doing. i write about all things self-reflection to learn how I can contribute and show up as a human and founder. Would love to know what you think and grow together if youโre up for it. just gave you a follow
The "being yourself" idea reminds me kinda of The Great Gatsby (we js read it in english, actually a rlly good book ngl) because Gatsby tries so hard to be this ideal figure, that when he crumbles and falls (spoiler srry), the millions who showed up to his parties and enjoyed the hospitality of his facade didn't even show up to his funeral, and I think that's partly bc of the fact that they only knew him as this mysterious figure and not who he really was.
His wealth was truly in vain because he lost himself trying to run away from his past, which ties into the ending line of the book, that we're "borne back ceaselessly into the past" no matter how hard we "beat our boats against the current."
Serves as a reminder of what could happen when you lose yourself in the process of chasing material wealth...
interesting. i hadnโt noticed this when i read it last year but now that i hear it from you, it totally makes sense. the part that still confuses me, is that we get to create our identities, so how do we even know who we are and subseuently when we โlose ourselvesโ. in gatsbyโs case, Fitzgerald mightโve meant that Gatsbyโs past defined his idneity but obviously, your identity is much more then that. everyone talks as if โbeing yourselfโ is just being authentic, but how will you know when youโve gotten there.
I think you know when you've gotten there not when you be "authentic," but when you're at peace with yourself and who you are, because you could be "authentic" and not like the person you are, yk?
The past likely didn't define Gatsby's identity, but the fact that he kept trying to escape certain parts of it (upbringing) and repeat other parts of it (Daisy) eventually caught up to him, because he was trying to do that with his identity.
ahhh i see, interersting take and i think your right. everywhere i go on substack, this idea of being "at peace" keeps showing up. imma check out the article right now!
Well, people say things get better with time. But in my opinion it's mainly your perspective. If you try to look at something from a different angle, even if you think you can't, trying to is still something! ๐ท
yessss, i recently watched a video that phrased it like this: so much of your experience is what you naturally notice and then further, how you interpret those things. those things, you do have control of but theyโre habits and thus hard to change.
I would love to put your article on my website. For free. I would put your name on it as the author and your contact information. I love your article, and want to share it with others.
exactly, i do also think that in some degree, you have to copy others to find ourselves. i mean, itโs in our nature. thatโs how we learn. babies even mimic their parents. but there comes a pt when thatโs no longer needed.
soโฆ what are you about? iโd love to get to know you and possibly grow together!
i think im the same way. im start to break away from the imitation phase and realizing what really brings me peice. i recently learned about a framework "thought, feeling, impulse, truth" to really map out your thoughts and how they translate to others and what you really mean (because they might not match). i think something like that is necessary to know what you really think when no one's watching.
just subbed to you, i lovee what you're doing, let's grow together:)
thankss for the support:) and yet, this concept of us changing with time sometimes feels manipulative even when itโs literally natural. when we act different than how we used to, we kind of worry about what that says about us. maybe itโs not even that deep though. loll existential thoughts
This is wonderful would love to read more of these articles ๐๐
aww thank you :)
Very well written! Keeping it real is the best way.
My jersey is trying to live the best life I can
๐๐๐i do try to keep it real! thank you for taking a read of this peice, one of my most special ones! and yessss, live the best life you can weather that means doing things that โscore pointsโ or doing things that donโt becuae you are the creator of your own life.
This really resonates. Being true to yourself is the foundation for anything solid youโre trying to build. When you stop performing and start aligning with who you actually are, the path forward becomes clearer. I like the jersey metaphor. Choosing your own jersey is a commitment to live from whatโs real, not what scores points. Thatโs where real momentum begins.
hi moe! i'm so glad this resonated with you and yesss i choose to write about this topic because too often we're obsessed with "scoring points" but 3, 5 years down the road, we wonder why we were doing it in the first place. you mentioned this resonates, do you have a story with this?
Personally, I have always been true to myself around others. I only need to impress myself. Iโve spent a lot of time interacting with people who werenโt being true to who they are, seeing the patterns and the quiet cost that comes with that really stuck with me. I have seen the toll it took on them. Itโs part of what made this topic feel important to explore.
wow that's in incredible trait to have. just being true to youreslf. for some reason, my brain can't comprehend that some peopple have always been like that becuase ive feel the opposite way. definately such an important topic to explore and im glad we took the time to discuss :)
This is actually why Iโm not very social and only have acquaintances, and I am okay with that. Over time, Iโve noticed that being authentic can make most people uncomfortable because it quietly reflects what they havenโt faced in themselves. Yes, a very important topic, thank you.
so truee, itโs kind of a social norm to pretend and adapt a version of yourself that is socially acceptable! i hadnโt realized this before. soo glad to have found so many friends who get me on this app
I LOVE THIS!!!
tysm. this is the only platform where i can find so many friends that are so real. i canโt see you but i see you and i hope we can do that for each other :)
On Jungian terms it's everybody's own mask for managing the world around them โ Persona โ and it's getting quite dangerous when you lean on too much using itโ out of social performance or survival...
My old Chicago Bulls jersey with a twist it's not what you've expected instead of the GOAT(which I love very much) mine had "Rodman" on the back and I never crossed in any match wearing the same jersey... His competence in the field or authentic style of being was โsomehowโ always made difference
I really love how you brought in Jung and Rodman here โ both are such perfect examples of how a persona can be powerful but also risky when it starts running the show. Itโs interesting how even a jersey can feel like armor or a mask we put on to face the world, and your Rodman story makes me want to ask where my โperformanceโ ends and the real me begins.
Maybe we donโt have to define it all together and let it stay messy. Nevertheless, we can try to stay true to ourselves in present and in time the borders can reveal themselves along the way.
woww, such profound words. you're right, there is a beauty in the unknown and the need to define things is what ruins the definitions themselves. but when you do figure it out, i'm curious what you find. keep me posted and i'll do the same!
so well put!! I think in our very individualistic era we are all so pressured to create a perfect persona to commodify ourselves - especially women!! Your point at the end is so lovely! (also my favourite movie is also pride and prejuice which is completely beside the point! ahaha)
๐๐๐ interesting connection to individualim. in this era where everyone is looksmaxxing and trying to optimize themselves, i feel like iโve fallen into not even know why im doing it. looking better, thatโs cool. but feeling at peace w/ myself, thatโs the goal. and we shouldnโt forget that!
100%!!
this is so profound and such an important reminder
heyyy nidhi, im so glad you connected with this peice. i just looked over some of your pieces and this line โi know i am loved but it doesnโt seep through the cracks in my faith.โ really stuck with me. i love what youโre doing. i write about all things self-reflection to learn how I can contribute and show up as a human and founder. Would love to know what you think and grow together if youโre up for it. just gave you a follow
ayie!!!! thankyou for reading, i am so glad it resonated with you
followed you back!
no problem! i always love to support new work :) can't wait for us to grow our substack empires together ๐
The "being yourself" idea reminds me kinda of The Great Gatsby (we js read it in english, actually a rlly good book ngl) because Gatsby tries so hard to be this ideal figure, that when he crumbles and falls (spoiler srry), the millions who showed up to his parties and enjoyed the hospitality of his facade didn't even show up to his funeral, and I think that's partly bc of the fact that they only knew him as this mysterious figure and not who he really was.
His wealth was truly in vain because he lost himself trying to run away from his past, which ties into the ending line of the book, that we're "borne back ceaselessly into the past" no matter how hard we "beat our boats against the current."
Serves as a reminder of what could happen when you lose yourself in the process of chasing material wealth...
interesting. i hadnโt noticed this when i read it last year but now that i hear it from you, it totally makes sense. the part that still confuses me, is that we get to create our identities, so how do we even know who we are and subseuently when we โlose ourselvesโ. in gatsbyโs case, Fitzgerald mightโve meant that Gatsbyโs past defined his idneity but obviously, your identity is much more then that. everyone talks as if โbeing yourselfโ is just being authentic, but how will you know when youโve gotten there.
I have an article on that if u wanna check it out! https://ahamsatya.substack.com/p/being-authentic-vs-being-authentic
I think you know when you've gotten there not when you be "authentic," but when you're at peace with yourself and who you are, because you could be "authentic" and not like the person you are, yk?
The past likely didn't define Gatsby's identity, but the fact that he kept trying to escape certain parts of it (upbringing) and repeat other parts of it (Daisy) eventually caught up to him, because he was trying to do that with his identity.
ahhh i see, interersting take and i think your right. everywhere i go on substack, this idea of being "at peace" keeps showing up. imma check out the article right now!
Yes I love this message, it's something that's universally experienced but can leave you feeling profoundly alone.
heyyyy i feel you and i have a feeling that youโve experienced this before as well. im lookign for ways to combat it. any ideas?
Well, people say things get better with time. But in my opinion it's mainly your perspective. If you try to look at something from a different angle, even if you think you can't, trying to is still something! ๐ท
yessss, i recently watched a video that phrased it like this: so much of your experience is what you naturally notice and then further, how you interpret those things. those things, you do have control of but theyโre habits and thus hard to change.
I seriously love this, youโre my new best friend ๐๐น๐
glad you like it! i meant it when i said we could build together<333 ๐ฅ
I would love to put your article on my website. For free. I would put your name on it as the author and your contact information. I love your article, and want to share it with others.
exactly, i do also think that in some degree, you have to copy others to find ourselves. i mean, itโs in our nature. thatโs how we learn. babies even mimic their parents. but there comes a pt when thatโs no longer needed.
soโฆ what are you about? iโd love to get to know you and possibly grow together!
i think im the same way. im start to break away from the imitation phase and realizing what really brings me peice. i recently learned about a framework "thought, feeling, impulse, truth" to really map out your thoughts and how they translate to others and what you really mean (because they might not match). i think something like that is necessary to know what you really think when no one's watching.
just subbed to you, i lovee what you're doing, let's grow together:)
thanksthanksthanks. i feel so lukcy to have found ppl like you on here, letโs build our empires together! :)
๐๐๐
thankss for the support:) and yet, this concept of us changing with time sometimes feels manipulative even when itโs literally natural. when we act different than how we used to, we kind of worry about what that says about us. maybe itโs not even that deep though. loll existential thoughts