Being Yourself

A flower never tries to imitate another flower.

To be beautiful means to be yourself.

You don’t need to be accepted by others.

You need to accept yourself.

Experiment with being yourself

and coming to others

without the need to be recognized.

You may be misunderstood …

and yet you don’t have to suffer.

Just live your life properly

and, after a while,

others will correct their misperception of you.

If every day you produce

positive thinking, good ideas,

with understanding and compassion …

loving speech … good actions,

you know it yourself.

Your value will reveal itself

to the people around you.

It may take a few days or several weeks,

it may even take years.

But if you know who you are,

you don’t have to suffer anymore.

—Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power