Who Were You Before the World Told You Who to Be?

Posted by Susie Spades in Mind, Philosophy, Spirit

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this question: Who was I before the world told me who to be?
It’s a profound and, at times, uncomfortable inquiry. But it’s also one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves on the path to healing, authenticity, and personal liberation.

The Birth of Authenticity

When we come into this world, we are raw, unfiltered expressions of being. As children, we naturally follow our curiosity, move toward what feels good, and shy away from what feels wrong. We sing without shame, dance without instruction, and speak without hesitation. We are nakedly ourselves; wild, sensitive, intuitive, sensual, joyful, expressive.

But slowly, that changes.

Our parents, teachers, religious leaders, and society at large begin the process of “civilizing” us. We’re told what’s appropriate, what’s sinful, what’s respectable, and what’s shameful. We’re encouraged to color inside the lines, dress the part, and play the role assigned to us, based not on who we are, but on who others expect us to be.

This conditioning isn’t necessarily malicious. Much of it is rooted in a desire to keep us safe, accepted, and successful. But in the process, we often lose contact with our true selves.

The Cost of Conformity

By the time we reach adulthood, most of us are living some version of a life designed by others. We work jobs that don’t nourish our soul. We stay in relationships that don’t reflect our deepest desires. We suppress our creativity, our sexuality, our spiritual truth. And over time, we begin to forget who we really are underneath it all.

We tell ourselves things like:

This is just how life is.
I can’t disappoint my family.
It’s too late to change.
I should be grateful for what I have.

But deep inside, a little voice remains. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it roars. And it asks: What if there’s more?

Unlearning to Remember

Reconnecting with who you were before the world told you who to be isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about unlearning. It’s about peeling back the layers of programming, expectation, shame, and fear so that you can reclaim your original essence.

This process isn’t always easy. It requires courage. It requires vulnerability. It requires being willing to question everything you were taught and get radically honest with yourself.

Here are some starting points for the journey:

Revisit childhood passions. What brought you joy before someone told you it wasn’t practical or worthwhile?
Examine your belief systems. Which beliefs are truly yours, and which ones were handed to you?
Reconnect with your body. Your body holds powerful wisdom. Through movement, touch, stillness, and sensual exploration, you can remember what freedom feels like.
Give yourself permission. To desire. To rest. To express. To say no. To say yes.
Create space for silence. In the quiet, truth rises.

Freedom Is Your Birthright

Who you were before the world told you who to be is still within you. She has not been erased—only buried. Maybe she’s a barefoot, curious dreamer. Maybe she’s wild and sexual and radiant. Maybe she’s quiet and wise and deeply sensitive. Maybe she’s all of that; and more.

When you begin to live as her again, something incredible happens: your life begins to feel like yours.

You begin to attract the people, places, and opportunities that align with your true vibration. You no longer settle for crumbs when your soul craves the banquet. You stop apologizing for being different and start celebrating it.

Because the world doesn’t need more people following scripts; it needs more people coming home to themselves.