Authenticity- Be Who You Really Are

Authentic: Definition- To be of undisputed origin; genuine; not false or copied.

                  Synonym- genuine, true, real, veritable, original, reliable

What does it mean to be authentic?

It means to be you.  Be who you are, not who you are trying to be.  We all have perceptions of who we should be, who we want to be, who we don’t want to be… however, how  often do we be who we are?

We all want to be loved- but are we lovable?  To be authentic means to become love, that we all are, then we can accept it.

We all want to be liked- but are we likeable?  Try something- invite out someone who you think doesn’t like you- and watch your boundaries come down.  I recently tried this, and I have a new friendship in bloom!

Watch your words: they can be harmful or helpful.  Mean what you say, say what you mean.  Repeating others’ words will only bring others’ problems. 

Something that I just learned: smile when you want to, not when you think you need to.  This is an outward expression of the authentic self.

If we just become and live the life that we were given to live… boundaries will be open, arms will be opened, and lives will be changed.

I have the best test if I am being authentic or not, to myself and to others.  I work with a population where trust has to be earned, no matter who you are.  If trust is gained, lives are changed.  If I am not genuine to the one that I am serving, they can see that, and won’t trust me.

 The How To...

Be who you are.

 Let go of “I should be’s”.

 Don’t try to fit in to a certain group, if you don’t- there is always a group of people who will love you for who you are.

There are websites set up to share how to be authentic to yourself.  This is a good one: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Genuine.  Another excellent resource is: http://www.pluginid.com/art-of-authenticity/

 The end result:  Life will be more rich, and fulfilling.

Resist the authentic you no longer!