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You are here: Home / Explore / Monday Motivation: Stop Hiding from Yourself

Monday Motivation: Stop Hiding from Yourself

By Know-it-All Nikki Leave a Comment

Ah before you start to poo-poo my Monday Motivation quote, hear me out: I am not a political person and I don’t write about politics. However, I believe everyone has something to important to say and Senator John McCain was one of them. Nope, never voted for him but today’s quote is more about knowing yourself and being true to yourself.

John McCain Quote

Do you know yourself? I mean really know yourself? How many times have you caught yourself saying, “I don’t know even know who I am anymore?” or “I feel like I lost myself…” Yeah, I’ve said all of these things with absolute sincerity and seriousness.

Who you are is important. Don’t ever lose sight of that. You may think you’ve lost parts of yourself over the years but deep down, YOU, the true you is still there. Ignoring or hiding your own truths, your real self , is a sure fire way to cause yourself more stress and anxiety than you need.

Consider this; if you’re trying to be someone that you’re not, the true you comes out eventually. (And I’m not talking about the “fake it till you make it” mantra we tell ourselves to pump ourselves up when we feel impostor syndrome creeping in.)

What I mean, is I believe sometimes we do more harm to ourselves than good when we hide who we are. We put on a front for people we want to impress or we shy away from the things we really want in life because it doesn’t suit others.

This isn’t healthy, it can’t be! Isn’t it possible that when we hide ourselves away we actually do ourselves more harm than good? I know I feel relieved when I don’t feel like I have to pretend around some people. I am far more authentic when I let me shine through. Yes, sometimes we have to hide what we think or feel in professional or social situations but that’s more about a rational human being than it is keeping our truths hidden.

I like this side of you

Ever had anyone say they like this side of you, or “I never knew that about you!” Odds are it’s because you’re letting your authentic self come through. Today your motivation needs to come from within; being your true self must come from inside of you.

You can fake it till you make it but don’t forget who you are and what drives you. Stop hiding your truths to suit others and who you think you need to be for them. You don’t need to be anyone else but yourself. 

Filed Under: Explore, Monday Motivation Tagged With: John McCain, Monday Motivation, Positivity, quotes

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Hi there!

I’m Nikki and I’m thrilled to have you here. I’m powered by a good chai latte, loads of chocolate, and humor. Here at Know-it-all Nikki, I dish up honest conversations about life with adult congenital heart disease and mental health. I also share my love of books, knitting, midlife, and life after divorce. So, pull up a seat and grab a beverage. Let’s spill some tea, have a lot of laughs, and a few good cries. To learn more about what makes me tick, CLICK HERE

knowitallnikki

#writer 📲 #Binder #bookblogger #Knitter 🐑 💙 #chd #ACHD #TGA📧 hello@knowitallnikki.com 📸 ©️ @knowitallnikki


Ok, okay, I won't go anywhere. Promise.
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#c

Ok, okay, I won't go anywhere. Promise.
.
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.
#charliesworld #catstagram #instacats #catsofig #housecatlife


Technically, he's not ON my planner, thus preventi
Technically, he's not ON my planner, thus preventing me from filling it out, but he IS laying on the stickers I need to fill in the days and dates.
.
.
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.
#charliesworld #instacats #catsofinstagram #catsofig #housecatlife catstagram


The world is falling apart.
The world is falling apart.


Head to the blog (link in bio) and read the latest
Head to the blog (link in bio) and read the latest. I've been trying to figure out how to write this for 2 months now and I still don't know if I got it right.
.
.
.
#knowitallnikkimovestoohio #dtga #heartmonth #ACHD #adultchdsurvivor


Well poop, I missed day 4 (Early Answers, Lasting
Well poop, I missed day 4 (Early Answers, Lasting Impact) and day 5 (How We Monitorthe Heart)! But it's fine! Because they both fit nicely for today's adventures which consisted of a carotid artery ultrasound (day 5) and a series of messages between myself and @nationwidekids to discuss how best to approach the weight loss struggle (day 4). 🤨😠

But it also ties in beautifully with day 6 of #heartmonth, #choosingjoy because despite all of the crap that goes along with being an adult with CHD, I am genuinely joyful. Some of comes out in sarcasm but I've told people if I'm not cracking jokes or inserting some token sarcasm into the day, then something is truly wrong. The last 2 years have been hard, but believe me when I say, I AM HAPPY and I'm wearing red today!
.
.
.
.
#ACHD #congenitalheartdefectsurvivor #WearRedforHeartMonth


I almost missed it, day 3 prompt for #heartmonth i
I almost missed it, day 3 prompt for #heartmonth is #lifebetweenappointments 

Yeesh, where do I start? Right now my life between appointments is a little chaotic. The number of appointments has increased a thousand fold than what I was used to growing up.  There are more appointments now than I had when I was pregnant with all four kids!

I struggle to keep them straight or where they're going to be. I write them down in a paper planner, my wall calendar, and my phone's calendar. And I still wind up looking them up multiple times because I don't trust my brain's ability to recall.

I'm expected to write down detailed symptoms. I don't recognize symptoms as symptoms. It just feels like a Tuesday to me. But do try to have a normal life, the docs encourage: eat right, be active, get sleep. How do I do that and not wonder if what I'm feeling while I'm trying to be normal is a symptom?
.
.
.
.
#heartfailure #congestiveheartfailure #congenitalheartdefect


Waiting.
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.
.
#catsofinstagram #charliesworld #in

Waiting.
.
.
.
#catsofinstagram #charliesworld #instacats #catsofig #catstagram


Day 2 of #heartmonth is #motivationmonday. All I c
Day 2 of #heartmonth is #motivationmonday. All I can say, is sometimes motivation feels like the end of a very long tunnel; a pinprick of light in an otherwise black abyss. Motivation eludes me more than I care to admit. When it feels unattainable I feel like the little girl I used to be, opening my eyes in a pitch black room, are my eyes actually open? Making my way across the room, arms outstretched, hoping I don't run into anything, or worse, fall. 
And then other times, like on this Monday, motivation arrives and it feels easy, like a special occasion you'vebeen waiting for. So you wear the anatomical heart earrings your daughter bought you and you don the gifted knit heart cowl your knitty BFF made for you and for a day you feel normal.
.
.
.
.
#congenitalheartdefectsurvivor #congestiveheartfailure #dtga


Today kicks off the first day of #heartmonth. I st
Today kicks off the first day of #heartmonth. I still think it's silly to only give one day, one month, or even one week to talk about heart disease. Alas, here we are. 

I'm going to do my best to follow the 28 daily prompts for #heartdisease and #chdawareness but I make no promises.

Today's prompt is #BeyondtheDiagnosis. To me, looking beyond being born with a CHD means a few things:

It's the invisible things that can't be measured on a chart, like the fatigue, sadness for the health I wasn't born with, and the mental math of asking myself if I have enough energy for all I want to get accomplished in a week, or even a day.

It's being seen as a whole person; not the condition the doctors are treating. This a part of me, not all of me. I'm still a parent, friend, writer, a hopeless romantic. Yes, I'm a heart patient, I ALWAYS will be, but I'm also opinionated, stubborn, funny, and a person with real feelings. 

But most of all it's refusing to be reduced to number in the healthcare system, or someone else's discomfort.
.
.
.
#chdawareness



Follow on Instagram


knowitallnikki

#writer 📲 #Binder #bookblogger #Knitter 🐑 💙 #chd #ACHD #TGA📧 hello@knowitallnikki.com 📸 ©️ @knowitallnikki

Ok, okay, I won't go anywhere. Promise. . . . . #c Ok, okay, I won't go anywhere. Promise.
.
.
.
.
#charliesworld #catstagram #instacats #catsofig #housecatlife
Technically, he's not ON my planner, thus preventi Technically, he's not ON my planner, thus preventing me from filling it out, but he IS laying on the stickers I need to fill in the days and dates.
.
.
.
.
#charliesworld #instacats #catsofinstagram #catsofig #housecatlife catstagram
The world is falling apart. The world is falling apart.
Head to the blog (link in bio) and read the latest Head to the blog (link in bio) and read the latest. I've been trying to figure out how to write this for 2 months now and I still don't know if I got it right.
.
.
.
#knowitallnikkimovestoohio #dtga #heartmonth #ACHD #adultchdsurvivor
Well poop, I missed day 4 (Early Answers, Lasting Well poop, I missed day 4 (Early Answers, Lasting Impact) and day 5 (How We Monitorthe Heart)! But it's fine! Because they both fit nicely for today's adventures which consisted of a carotid artery ultrasound (day 5) and a series of messages between myself and @nationwidekids to discuss how best to approach the weight loss struggle (day 4). 🤨😠

But it also ties in beautifully with day 6 of #heartmonth, #choosingjoy because despite all of the crap that goes along with being an adult with CHD, I am genuinely joyful. Some of comes out in sarcasm but I've told people if I'm not cracking jokes or inserting some token sarcasm into the day, then something is truly wrong. The last 2 years have been hard, but believe me when I say, I AM HAPPY and I'm wearing red today!
.
.
.
.
#ACHD #congenitalheartdefectsurvivor #WearRedforHeartMonth
I almost missed it, day 3 prompt for #heartmonth i I almost missed it, day 3 prompt for #heartmonth is #lifebetweenappointments 

Yeesh, where do I start? Right now my life between appointments is a little chaotic. The number of appointments has increased a thousand fold than what I was used to growing up.  There are more appointments now than I had when I was pregnant with all four kids!

I struggle to keep them straight or where they're going to be. I write them down in a paper planner, my wall calendar, and my phone's calendar. And I still wind up looking them up multiple times because I don't trust my brain's ability to recall.

I'm expected to write down detailed symptoms. I don't recognize symptoms as symptoms. It just feels like a Tuesday to me. But do try to have a normal life, the docs encourage: eat right, be active, get sleep. How do I do that and not wonder if what I'm feeling while I'm trying to be normal is a symptom?
.
.
.
.
#heartfailure #congestiveheartfailure #congenitalheartdefect
Waiting. . . . #catsofinstagram #charliesworld #in Waiting.
.
.
.
#catsofinstagram #charliesworld #instacats #catsofig #catstagram
Day 2 of #heartmonth is #motivationmonday. All I c Day 2 of #heartmonth is #motivationmonday. All I can say, is sometimes motivation feels like the end of a very long tunnel; a pinprick of light in an otherwise black abyss. Motivation eludes me more than I care to admit. When it feels unattainable I feel like the little girl I used to be, opening my eyes in a pitch black room, are my eyes actually open? Making my way across the room, arms outstretched, hoping I don't run into anything, or worse, fall. 
And then other times, like on this Monday, motivation arrives and it feels easy, like a special occasion you'vebeen waiting for. So you wear the anatomical heart earrings your daughter bought you and you don the gifted knit heart cowl your knitty BFF made for you and for a day you feel normal.
.
.
.
.
#congenitalheartdefectsurvivor #congestiveheartfailure #dtga
Today kicks off the first day of #heartmonth. I st Today kicks off the first day of #heartmonth. I still think it's silly to only give one day, one month, or even one week to talk about heart disease. Alas, here we are. 

I'm going to do my best to follow the 28 daily prompts for #heartdisease and #chdawareness but I make no promises.

Today's prompt is #BeyondtheDiagnosis. To me, looking beyond being born with a CHD means a few things:

It's the invisible things that can't be measured on a chart, like the fatigue, sadness for the health I wasn't born with, and the mental math of asking myself if I have enough energy for all I want to get accomplished in a week, or even a day.

It's being seen as a whole person; not the condition the doctors are treating. This a part of me, not all of me. I'm still a parent, friend, writer, a hopeless romantic. Yes, I'm a heart patient, I ALWAYS will be, but I'm also opinionated, stubborn, funny, and a person with real feelings. 

But most of all it's refusing to be reduced to number in the healthcare system, or someone else's discomfort.
.
.
.
#chdawareness
Follow on Instagram

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