The Gift of Authenticity – Destiny
Many people have heard, ” Stay true to yourself ” or ” Just be yourself “. Both are meaningful statements, truly. However, these simple sayings are not easy to act upon. Inherently, we know we can only be ourselves, right, but the world we live in, the media we listen and watch, and even people we know ask us to shape shift and morph into whatever is the most convenient and easier for them to tolerate. Fitting in can be seen as more appealing, like a good choice, or the more acceptable choice especially when you are made to feel less than. These conflicting dichotomies have had all of us at one time or another second guessing our place in the world resulting in feelings of inadequacy or low self-worth. However, what if the statement of staying true to yourself could be realized, not to block out the messages that other people spew but for us to connect with ourselves, find peace, and the gift that authenticity can bring.
Authenticity is a gift for us all, if we can find a way to know ourselves, we can unlock higher self-esteem and fulfilment. To be fully seen to ourselves can be an amazing adventure and can reduce the pressure of thinking about what our life is supposed to look like and free all of us from the pressure of striving. Being authentic is sitting with yourself long enough to drown out the noise of compromise, self-doubt, and comparisons. To embrace self-love, self-compassion, discovery of self, and accepting your individuality.
– Try self-love by prioritizing your needs. Discover your needs by taking out a piece of paper and clear your mind from others’ expectations and allow yourself to think deeply only about your needs. What are your non-negotiables? Think about the ways you shrink and instead honor your strengths and skills.
– Try self-compassion, by forgiving yourself of past wrongs or mistakes. Embrace and accept your development and journey toward growth not perfection. Let go of the critical thoughts or negative speech you have learned. Instead, value your difference and speak positive affirmations. For example, I am valuable, I forgive myself therefore it is easier to forgive others, Negative thoughts do not have power over me anymore, I let them go easily. I have everything I need to live a beautiful life.
– Try looking within to discover who you are. Ways to explore is by learning your interest, personality, values, and skills. These will teach you about what you like and do not like, what you prefer or not, what’s important to you and what you’re good at. You can answer questions like what is an activity that you lose track of time doing because it’s so enjoyable? Or are you a person that loves being around others or alone reading books? Once you write these down, honor your skills and the things that make you unique and vibrant.
– Try accepting your individuality, instead of comparing yourself to others and pleasing others. Take a second to focus on your one-of-a-kind attributes. Become comfortable with seeing all of you and loving each part.
The gift of authenticity is vulnerability, the power of knowing yourself, and standing in your truth. I invite you to embrace who you are and work daily to be authentic to that without apology.
