Recently, the idea of living with authenticity has come up quite a few times. As something that I am passionate about, today I would like to share with you the joy that authenticity has brought to my life and hopefully challenge you to do the same (and we know how much I love a challenge).
Authenticity is living life true to oneself and one’s values. It is being genuine.
Today’s society exhausts itself with inauthenticity. Because living inauthentically is exhausting. We live in a society that is completely caught up in the idea of what other people think of us. So, instead of being true to ourselves, we behave in a way that we believe is expected of us. It is easier to hide who we really are and not get hurt in the moment than to be ourselves and face the fear of being truly rejected by someone. We would rather be caught up in false relationships than to experience truth. Because truth is scary. Truth is uncomfortable. But truth is the most fulfilling feeling in the world.
For me, being authentic is being honest. Being honest with myself and being honest with others. It is asking questions and actually listening to honest answers from the people in my life so that I can support them in their lows and celebrate in their joy.
Being authentic is showing vulnerability, which I belief is akin to showing great strength. Being completely genuine. Being real. Being authentic means being self aware. It is being mindful.
I challenge each of you today to think about whether you are being authentic. Whether you actually know what is going on in the lives of those around you and whether they know what is truly going on in yours. Look beyond the facade of Facebook posts, Instagram photos and plastered smiles. I challenge you to accept where you are at right now. Not to become consumed in your circumstances, but rather accept where you are at in the knowledge that life has so much to offer. I challenge you to be authentic. To look outside yourself and shine light into the lives others. To build your relationships upon honesty and genuine care. To find yourself. To find joy. To find peace.
We are each born to show love. Genuine, authentic love. We only learn not to.
As scary as living with authenticity may seem, trust me, it is worth it.
Life is a blessing. As are the people around us. With life we have hope.
Let’s travel through life experiencing it to the absolute fullest.
xx Liz
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