Discover new personal depth when you discard others’ beliefs about you and release the false narratives you carry about yourself. Like most people, you probably built your thought world at an early age around others’ theologies and society’s pressure to fit in. When you adopt others’ beliefs and judgments and then internalize them, you prevent yourself from reaching your full potential.

I’m here to say that you can drop the weight of others’ expectations. As well as the labels you have put on yourself. Free yourself by embracing and empowering what makes you uniquely you. Don’t change for someone else. Don’t live small to fit in. Instead, welcome your personal evolution.

So, how do you discard beliefs that hold you back? And, how can you counter that false image of yourself so you can start nurturing the real you? Let’s start with faith.

Faith is integral to letting go
To practice faith, you don’t have to belong to a religion. Faith is the acceptance that you are not alone and that a Higher Power exists. Faith is the knowledge that the heavenly hosts are always here to assist you, to lift you up, to expand your perspective and, yes, to celebrate with you. When you carry this knowledge within your heart it helps you to release the day-to-day worries and pressures. It encourages you to discard limiting beliefs that keep you small.

Drop your negative self-narrative
You can do this by paying attention to what you tell yourself. “I’m not XX enough,” “I’m too XX,” and “I should be XX.” They also include the labels (both positive and negative) that others use to define you.

Once you recognize the lies that limit you, you can flip your mental script.

For me, one label given to me as a child stunted my spiritual growth: I was called “imaginative.” This may not seem harmful, but it stifled my intuitive sense. Until my late 40s, I’d explained away my weird experiences instead of learning from them. It wasn’t until I could no longer deny my abilities that I learned to embrace and grow this gift.

This is how I flipped my script. “I love being imaginative, but I’m not limited by it. I can tell the difference between my imagination and the supernatural instances that are part of my life. Having a strong intuitive sense is a tremendous asset; one I embrace. It is central to my purpose here. I am both creative and intuitive.”

Who are you?
Take a minute to describe yourself. Concentrate on what drives you and what you’re passionate about. Don’t define yourself by roles or your career: instead, dive deeper and think of the qualities that you possess that make you a good coworker, mother or husband. A parent may list their patience and ability to nurture their children. What makes you uniquely you?

Now, jot down the labels others have put on you.

Compare the two. How do those labels restrict your spiritual beliefs and the idea of who you are? Loved ones tend to exert pressure out of their concern for you. However, that doesn’t mean they know what you truly need to rise to your potential. To figure out how you can live authentically, you must release those expectations. Then hand your desires and concerns over to the Most Loving.

When you drop preconceived notions, you create space for new opportunities and new ways of thinking. You can live large.

6 tips to discover who you really are

  • Release your desire to conform to society’s pressures.
  • Incorporate 10 minutes of silence into each day. Be open to the higher thoughts that will be sent to you.
  • Pray and ask to open to your wider potential.
  • Work with your divine support team to help you fully understand what you need to do to nurture your authenticity and reveal your spiritual truths.
  • Open your heart.
  • Explore interests that fascinate you.

These exercises can help you to rediscover and honor your true self. Understand that you are so much more than you can ever conceive of. Get out of your own way so you can achieve your potential.