The Real You

I have been reading out of a book called, "Live, Love, & Learn". It is from the Time Out for Women conferences that Deseret Book sponsors. I came across a story by Hilary Weeks titled "The Real You" & wanted to share a thought from it.

She says: "There are a lot of things like smiling that I want to improve about myself. I imagine we all feel that way. I have a little philosophy about becoming and being the "real you" or in other words, the person you want and know you can be.
To some extent we know our strengths and weaknesses. Often we notice someone else's strength and wish we were more that way...My philosophy is the good quality we notice in someone else is a quality we actually already possess but have not yet developed. It is in us, we just need to watch and learn from another's example. The fact we notice the strength in someone else is our inner spirit's desire to develop that quality.
....Who is the real you? Do you want to smile more? Do you want to be organized? Do you want to have a home in which everyone knows they are welcome? Do you want to make the world's best cheese ball?
It is pretty easy to figure out. Just think of someone's example that you admire. Watch as they use that quality. You could even ask them how they do it--get a little one-on-one advice!!
It is a pattern with which we are already familiar. We know how to look to the Savior for our ultimate example. And along the road of life, His qualities can be found in those around us. Following those examples can help us become our very best. Our weaknesses truly can become our strengths and our strengths can be a blessing to others. It is part of the cycle of becoming the "real you".
...Today & everyday I want to be SOMEBODY."

It seems that everyday we encounter someone who we think does something better than we do & I loved what Hilary said about watching their example & learning from them. It is how our children learn the things they do, by example. In her story she used an example of a friend who smiled all the time. She smiles at the person giving the talk in sacrament meeting, she smiles at the family giving the musical number. Hilary wanted to be more like that so she started smiling while she was doing the dishes or even sweeping the floor. She said that at first it didn't feel very natural but the more she does it, the more natural it feels.

It is the same with us. When we try something new for the first time, it may not seem natural but the more we practice it, the better we get at it & the more comfortable it will be. I am trying to follow the example of the people I want to be like more & be more comfortable at what I want to do & become "the real me".