by Tanya Dittberner

Created on: February 11, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2007

It's a question most of us never think about, yet we all battle with the idea at some point in our lives: how seriously should we take ourselves?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of seriousness, we should take ourselves seriously hovering around the general level of 4 to 5, depending on our situation, age and goals.

The decision and practice of taking oneself seriously is to show the world how mature we can be. Taking oneself seriously masks any hint of indecision, weakness of character, insecurity - anything that can make us less attractive as human beings. People use this approach to get the more hard-to-come-by things out of life - a better job, more money, respect, love...

While a better job, more money, respect and love are more than welcomed in my life, I do not believe it's necessary to take myself too seriously to achieve these things. My secret? Be myself, exude confidence and keep a level head in difficult situations.

Taking oneself too seriously can impede the more delightful facets of our personalities and misrepresent who we truly are. Plus, it can keep us from finding pleasure in everyday life - from laughing at a silly movie to dancing to learning from our mistakes and ultimately growing from them.

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