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“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinion drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” …Steve Jobs
What is Authenticity?
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. …Dr. Seuss
Authenticity is defined as the degree to which a person’s actions are aligned with his or her beliefs and desires, despite external pressures to conformity. To represent one’s true nature and belief; to be true to oneself or the person identified. The quality of being real or true.
Individuals considered authentic are those who generally strive to align their actions with their core values and beliefs, with the hope of discovering, and then acting in alignment with, their “true selves.”
Authenticity is about presence, living in the moment with conviction and confidence and staying true to yourself.
Why Authenticity Matters?
“Better to practice your own purpose, or your own calling, or your own life, imperfectly than to impersonate another’s perfectly.” …Bhagavad Gita
When we are out of alignment with our true selves we end up feeling disconnected from others, our self-confidence waivers and we find ourselves with a constant mental chatter of how we should be, how we are being perceived, what are others expectations and opinions of me. We feel an overarching sense of being misunderstood.
Social media has intensified or brought to the surface a greater desire to be liked, to be accepted and to just fit in. We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us who to be, what to like, how to express ourselves. We can easily find ourselves wearing masks, each role we play is a different image we project to the world.
As kids we were molded by our environment; parents, teachers, religion, friends and the society’s view of how to behave, how to be accepted, even how to think. As a result, we developed beliefs, thoughts, emotions and behaviors that keep us acting in ways that have been conditioned and not what is truly authentic and real of ourselves.
To be conscious and aware of what matters to you is vital to all aspects of your life: your well-being, the success of your relationship, how your career unfolds and how you reflect on your life. Living a truly authentic life requires that you know yourself, own yourself and express yourself in each moment of your life. This is authentic living.
Benefits of an Authentic Life
“Authentic power is freedom from fear and awareness of your creative power as a soul. It is appreciation of the wisdom and compassion of the Universe. Authentic power is the alignment of the personality with the soul – with harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life.” …Gary Zukav
- A person living and acting out of authenticity generally experiences more heartfelt happiness in their lives. They find more peace in their day to day actions and interactions because their mind is not processing the incongruences of what they do and say and how they are being perceived by others.
- You experience the feeling of fulfillment more often and with greater intensity. In living in authenticity your purpose, vision and goals are generally in alignment with each other therefore you find more joy and satisfaction in the journey.
- You express greater clarity, confidence and empowerment when it comes to making decisions. The authentic person knows their core values and their decisions are evaluated based on theses values and not the outside noises from family, friends and varying opinions.
- Honesty and integrity with oneself become natural. Authentic people know themselves and their motivations: they own take ownership of their decisions and take responsibility for their actions. They are willing to stand up against social pressures to conform and hold to their truths regardless of the consequences.
- Purposefully pursuing their passions. Authentic people are generally in integrity with their dreams and goals. They are brave enough to live the life of their dreams according to their vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.
- They experience more authentic relationships with others, they form deeper connection as they come across to others as transparent, honest and genuine. They are accepting of themselves and of others and can express their feeling and emotions freely and clearly and are open to learning from both their mistakes and the mistakes of others.
Authenticity is not an end point to be achieve it is an ongoing process where we are constantly aware of our inner world and how we experience ourselves, moment by moment. Authentic people can be present in the moment, aware of what is going on inside them emotionally and of what is happening around them.
Authenticity requires us to overcome our desire to fit in and to be apart of the crowd. The authentic is not fearless but is courageous enough to be willing to feel their fear in order to remain authentic. Authentic people know themselves and their motivations; they own their decisions and take responsibility for their actions. They are good at being with others as they are without judging or labelling and in this way comes across to others as transparent, honest and genuine.
To truly express yourself with authenticity, you first must know who your true self actually is. This requires self-awareness, mindfulness and self-acceptance.
Reflections:
What does Authenticity means to you?
In what why do you think you can show up more Authentic? Please share below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]