Are you living your life as your authentic self OR have you modified your being to present a more ‘acceptable’ and ‘likeable’ version of yourself to the world.
Living as our authentic selves may be one of the MOST vulnerable acts you will ever commit.
Taking away the layers of protection and revealing who you truly are is SCARY. What if the world only liked your persona and not the real you? What if someone judges you for being the real you and they don’t like it? What if you lose all your friends, your job, your support system and lifestyle because you choose to be the real you?
Would it be worth it to you? Would it be worth it to the world around you to be the happiest version of yourself by accepting your authentic self and sharing it with the world?
Would our world be just a little bit kinder if everyone would put aside their personas and acts of who they are and shared their true, authentic selves with the world?
Yes, deep thoughts for a Monday…..
My thoughts were spurred by the one year anniversary of the nightmare that rocked Orlando. The 49 unnecessary lives that were taken that evening when a man, not living his authentic self, entered the Pulse nightclub, terrorized the patrons and gunned down innocent lives.
News stories have many ‘theories’ as to why the shooter did what he did. After immersing myself in the stories of the survivors through streams of tears and deep mourning for the victims and their families, I have my own theory.
Had this man been living his true, authentic life, would he have been angry enough to take the lives of 49 innocent souls and wound 58 others. Though married and a member of a strict religion that does not tolerate a GLBT lifestyle, it was storied that this man had been a previous patron of the nightclub and had behaviors that would lead one to believe that he was hiding his true, authentic self.
His true, authentic self would not be tolerated or accepted by his family or community.
Had this man set aside his own personal judgements and embraced who he was designed to be, would we be in the state of mourning for the victims and their families and gathering for the day of remembrance?
Hiding your authentic self may NOT result in you going on a rampage and taking innocent lives. (I truly hope it wouldn’t!)
However, it may result in less obvious damage. Perhaps you:
- Have a sense of anger that spills into every relationship and interaction
- Change your personality to fit the person you are with (exhausting and never leads to a true connection!)
- Allow it to manifest as a deep depression
- Hide your true self under layers of protection – figuratively and literally with excess weight gain
In my heart, I hope and pray that everyone reading this will put their judgements to rest; judgements on themselves and those around them. Embrace people for who they truly are. Just as they were created to be. Support those in the choice to live their lives in their most authentic form.
Embrace your own authentic self and allow yourself to become the person you were destined to be.
Yes, this is scary. It is difficult and it can, at times, mean you are losing or alienating those in your life who are unable to embrace your authentic self. If they cannot love and accept you for who you truly are, they do not deserve the space in your life that you are allowing them to take.
It WILL be worth it in the end.
I’ve gone through the process of finding my authentic self and releasing those in my life who cannot accept me or support me for just being me. The rewards of discovering my own value, self-worth and unique talents that I bring to the world was worth the heartbreak, self-doubt and ‘starting over’ in a new career and business.
It has allowed fantastic new people in my life who enjoy spending time with my authentic self with a deep connection and friendship. It has allowed me to pursue a passion for helping women discover their own self-worth and stop accepting the leftover crumbs.
It has allowed me the opportunity to walk away from situations and people that are damaging to me and value myself over keeping other people happy.
It has allowed me to wake up every morning and look forward to what the day ahead will bring.
What will you GAIN when you lose your persona and accept your authentic self? Isn’t it worth it?
