Be yourself. It is advice so sound that it has come full circle and become cliché. You might often channel your energy into becoming someone, anyone else. You may think a particular car, job, or amount of money will make you the person you need to be, but the truth is both sobering and empowering. If you can't learn to be okay with yourself right now, at this moment, you never will be.

If you still need some encouragement to embrace yourself and live the life you were meant to, read on! Here are five amazing benefits of living true to yourself.

Confidence

Hendrie Weisinger Ph.D., in an article on Psychology Today, said " Confidence by those who study the subject is 'the degree to which you think and "feel" your actions will achieve positive results.'"

When you do something that disagrees with your convictions, you will not have confidence in that action. We tend to get what we put out into the world, so others will not have faith in the action, either. They may also be able to see the disingenuous feeling behind the action.

On the flip side, when you make a decision and know it is true to your own set of morals, you will make it confidently. People will respect your conviction and find your decision reasonable. If you are confident in who you are and what you are doing, others will tend to fall in line. That's how leaders are made!

No More Holding Stuff In

When we aren't true to ourselves, we often end up in professions and relationships we hate. In these situations, we put on a mask. We say, "Yes, sir, no, sir, I'm so sorry." When we mean "Why do you want that? Yes, I do want to go home early. Eat it."

However, when you're true to yourself, you can be honest. It won't come from a place of bitterness, either. If you disagree with your boss, it's likely to be for a good reason that you should bring up. If you and your partner are unhappy, you will tell them why and either fix it together or set them free.

Bye, Bye Stress

When we don't know who we are, we tend to worry about everything. Did we say the wrong thing? Are we with the right person? Did we leave the stove on?

When you're living true to yourself, you can double down on your decisions rather than worrying if they were correct. You won't live a stress-free life but knowing you did was true to you is a great relief.

Fake Friends Start Dissolving!

When you take off your mask and live as your true self, some people may not like it. Don't fret, though. Those are the people who never liked the real you! Wave goodbye with a smile and move on to supportive friends who accept your true self.

Everyone Else is Already Taken

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde.

Have you ever heard a band that reminds you A LOT of another band? What about a movie that tries all too hard to copy a famous blockbuster? In some cases, mainly on the racks of bargain brand clothing stores, knockoffs can make some cash. They will never, however, stand on their own because they will never be their own. They will always be a less authentic version of something else.

This is why you need to be your true self. You can learn from others, but don't try to be them. You are you, and only you can be you.

So, go, be you!