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When we go through life sometimes we create an idea of ourselves, one which may not correlate to who we truly are, but only fits with what we think we are. There can be an imbalance between the two, that one outweighs the other. How do you find yourself when you have created layers of supposition and unrealities upon yourself? By going within and realizing you can accept yourself for who you truly are, with nothing else. You do not need acceptance from another. It your acceptance of yourself, your true self, that is real and powerful. Why pretend any longer or even keep yourself from the real you? Who you really are is fully capable of succeeding in life. It is when we portray ourselves differently than who we are that we stumble, that we get lost in life.
Once you accept yourself for who you are without adding anything on, no pressure, no ideals, and no supposition you can be clear enough to live as fully you. To pretend otherwise is to live another's life. You are meant to live your life just as you are and to always go forward in life as the real you, not as someone else. Life is not an act; sometimes we may feel this way in order to fit in, to find acceptance, but remember you should be accepted for you, not for what you are pretending to be. Is it really worth the experience of expanding this other self when the real you is waiting to become present in your life?
If you have a hard time accepting yourself just as you are, then realize that this is normal. We all do this in a certain way. That is why we look outward for acceptance, why we change ourselves to fit in, but before this happened, there was a choice made. It may have only been an unconscious choice, but we felt at some level that we needed to be different than who we really were. When this choice was made, our true self was shelved away and was no longer part of the idea of ourselves. To bring your true self forward again is to look inward and believe, trust, and accept that who you are today, with nothing in the way, is perfect. You can always change and grow, but you can do so from within, from who you really are. Believe that you are perfect as you are. Believe in yourself, for no one else can. Acceptance from anyone else will never be enough, for it can always be threatened and is not permanent, thus causing us to constantly change and adapt. This is not how we want to live. We need to live as ourselves, fully accepting who we really are.