What it Means to Be Yourself – Inspired by Virginia Woolf

“To be myself (I note) I need the illumination of other people’s eyes, and therefore cannot be entirely sure what is my self.” (Virginia Woolf)

Being Aware of Yourself

If one would be all alone in the world, never meeting another human being, that person would probably not be very aware of his self.

Your self comes to the surface when it comes in contact with other people. By seeing what they do and say, you automatically start to wonder about your own actions and words. You choose, often without realizing, to adjust or not. Other people are like a mirror to us, we see ourselves in a new light through them and wonder if we like what we see.

Your Influence on Others

This also means that we can influence other people to become themselves. The way you are shapes those you meet with. Good or bad. Too often we don’t realize how much we influence one another.

Maybe try to be more aware of this today. Strive to be a better person than you think you can be and you’ll most likely take some people with you on that path :)

If you need some inspiration on how to do this: read the book of Proverbs.

The quote is from Virginia Woolf’s book The Waves and is the title of this painting.