“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let out true selves be seen.” ~Brene Brown
Living authentically is a beautiful gift of nurturing a relationship with yourself. Mindfulness is a beautiful tool to create space around you in order to honor and acknowledge all of who you are. Learning to take time to fully arrive in the present moment gives you so much information about how you feel, what you need, and what would be the most nurturing thing you could do for yourself. Creating mindful practices throughout your day to pause and check in with yourself is an empowering way to prioritize you and your authenticity.
Being your authentic self can only happen when you are willing to honor and acknowledge all parts of you. This includes the aspects of you that you proudly express to the world and the more challenging parts of you that you may try to hide from the world, because they evoke feelings of shame and embarrassment.
To show up authentically in our lives, we must find a way to make peace with all the parts of ourselves. Most of us have found that when we shove down or deny some aspect of us, there is a nagging fear that someone may find out the truth and thus much energy is needed to hide that part of ourselves from others. Rejecting parts of ourselves undermines our self-confidence and feeds our inner critic and imposter syndrome. Over time we can lose touch with who we really are and live from expectation rather than in alignment with our values.
Not living authentically damages our relationship with ourselves as well as with others. Indeed, it is impossible to be truly present with others when you don’t show up authentically. This is because we end up spending so much time and energy trying to hide a part of ourselves, distracted in our own stories, that we are not attending fully to the other person. Choosing to show up, be real, and express ourselves authentically is liberating and benefits everyone. Not only are we able to be more present with others when we show up authentically, we also give others permission to express their authentic selves when we have the courage to do so.
The practice of mindfulness or simply paying attention on purpose, is a nurturing way to begin embracing all of who we are. When we engage in mindfulness, we learn to be kind, gentle, and compassionate with all the parts of ourselves. Through our practice our awareness of our feelings, thoughts, sensations, and experiences grows and we learn to respond to ourselves with love and grace. When we treat ourselves like our own dear friend, we begin to recognize that our authenticity is what makes us unique and beautiful and is our gift to share with the world.
The less we deny challenging aspects of ourselves, the more compassion we can draw upon both for ourselves and for others in the world. We can use our practice of mindfulness to honor and acknowledge all of who we are and let go of limiting perfectionism and unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others that lead to so much suffering. We have the choice to let our true selves be seen and in the process our authenticity will become a blessing to all.
May you embark on this mindful path of authenticity as you nurture peace in the world from the inside out!
Terroma moment with our Confidence blend can be your booster today to claim your true self and approach the day with confidence, self-appreciation and love for all that you are. We are not made perfect but we are made to be unique.
Sending you peace, love and gratitude, Kelley