Kevin Durant, Cosmo Kramer, and Shakespeare

In an episode of Seinfeld, Kramer goes to LA to pursue his acting dreams. After a series of circumstances that could only happen to Kramer, Jerry and George talk with him about returning to New York. They start by asking him, “What are you going to do?” His response? ““Hey, I'm doing what I do. You know, I've always done what I do. I'm doing what I do, way I've always done and the way I'll always do it.”

A modern day equivalent is on the twitter feed of star Kevin Durant, who lists as his bio, “I’m me, I do me, and I chill.” Durant certainly has more responsibilities than Kramer (including the fact that, unlike a character in a sitcom, he is an actual person!).

And for those of you who prefer to draw their inspiration from more sophisticated sources…look no further than Hamlet, where Polonius includes this instruction to his son: “This above all: to thine own self be true/And it must follow, as the night the day/Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Often we can get disconnected from ourselves by the roles we are asked to play. Perhaps Kramer, Durant, and Polonius offer us a grounding exercise—to simply be ourselves.

What might be or feel different if you viewed your primary role in life as to simply be yourself in every setting? What would it feel like to “do what you do”? Or to “be you”? Or to “(your) own self be true”? How can you make sure that you bring that approach to your life?