Be True to Yourself

I have to admit that I have struggled on many occasions to be true to myself, true to what I believe in and who I am. It is probably one of the most hardest lessons in life to achieve. So many things affect how and why we behave in the way we do. Sometimes we enjoy destructive things too much to change, sometimes peer pressure affects us and sometimes it is just a lack of maturity or experience.

It can take what feels like a lifetime to get to a place where you truly feel happy and then it can take just a split second for that to all change - if you are not being true to yourself.

Allowing ourselves to be derailed from our path can also happen when we want to seek vengeance on a perceived wrong. Or if somebody else's actions cause us to question our own destination and beliefs, momentarily throwing us in another direction that ultimately may not lead where our heart lies.

So many things alter my focus and stop me doing what I really want. The break up of a relationship, blaming somebody else for my misfortune, financial difficulties and so on.

I was chatting to a good friend recently about these types of things; his name is Finn. He was feeling particularly bitter, with good reason, toward the government in this country. After we had chatted about shit for a while, we started talking about a Finnish term; Sisu.

Unusually, it was me reminding Finn to let go of the negativity and push forward, to use his strength of will, determination, perseverance and act rationally in the face of adversity. All elements of Sisu. In turn, this reminded me to let go of things that troubled me, to put aside any past grievances, any grudges I had against people or any pain I felt had been caused by others. Why hold on to it? Whatever happens, happens for a reason.

Maybe Sisu gives me a 'physical' notion to put faith in. Something to believe in, to make myself feel better when I am trying to overcome obstacles that litter my path. But whatever, I think what it stands for and what it allows people to achieve is far more important and beneficial. It gives me something to structure my life around, something to give me that extra percentage of belief when things are not going so well and more importantly by believing in this notion, it gives me the strength to stick to the path I am on and be true to myself and to others.