"Staying true to yourself" isn't about knowing what or who your "true self" is. It's really about seeing who/what you are now. Here's an example. You're lookin

"Staying true to yourself" isn't about knowing what or who your "true self" is. It's really about seeing who/what you are now. Here's an example. You're looking at a job offer. You think you can probably negotiate to get a higher base salary, but you don't. Why not? One answer I've heard in the past was "I believe that if we have to negotiate money, then I'm not joining this startup for the right reasons." There's a kernel of truth there, but I doubt that person really believed this point. This person was more likely averse to the discomfort of negotiation. Staying true to yourself in this situation means acknowledging (to yourself) that you are showing a conflict avoidance behavior. Once you acknowledge it, you are halfway to deciding to do something about it. But as long as you rationalize it away, you would not know how to stay true to yourself. Other posters have covered other dimensions of this question and also advice for working on this specific issue, but this is my take on something related to understanding your "true self" that shows up on a daily, hourly basis.