The truth about Authenticity

​Let me preface this by saying that these are just a few of my thoughts on authenticity, I do have much more to say, but lets start with this.

For me authenticity is showing up every day as I am, good, bad or otherwise but always trying to live by my core values. This means that who I am for other people can change daily, but who I am for myself remains the same. If I choose to allow myself to show up as I need to daily, I am always in alignment with myself which is the most important thing. At the end of the day, the only person you can truly count on is yourself, so I know that if I can build a strong relationship with her, I become the most resilient version of myself. For me authenticity has very little to do with how I present on the outside and everything to do with how show up for myself and also how I have compassion for the fact that I am ever evolving and that my best is different every single day.

Personally I think that people often but too much stock in their identities rather than there authenticity and core values.

​Identity creates attachment to things that can easily change or be taken from us, like our jobs or the way that we look.

Identity can also get you wrapped up in achieving or in a very narrow view of success. Obviously it is important to have goals and want more out of life, but if it becomes about staying aligned with our values life can feel more joyful and easeful. Knowing your core values allows for more flexibility and evolution rather than a narrow view of who you are in the world.

Knowing what your core values are is important in life as it will create more ease in making decisions and taking action. During times of upheaval and change, core values serve as anchors, grounding us in our principles and fortifying our resilience. They provide stability amidst chaos, empowering us to adapt, evolve, and emerge stronger from adversity. They also can help you to know if you are in alignment with in friendships or other relationships. Knowing your core values also helps drive purpose and passion.

We can take on different identities in life, but they are not who we are. If I was going to go super spiritual on you, I would say that we are everything and we are nothing, we are simply I Am. And as much is that is true, we are also human beings walking on the planet and we tend to need things to define ourselves. But what if it didn’t have to be so narrow, or so rigid, what if your identity wasn’t tied up in something that you feel you have to measure like success or popularity?
What if life could be a little more fun, flexible and undefined. Let me give you some examples.

EX: I am a woman who likes to wear leggings and black T-Shirts
I am a woman who values comfort.
If I wrap myself in the identity of leggings and black t-shirts then I feel inauthentic when I wear anything else.

EX: I like and a woman who likes tattoos
I value creative expression and meaningful symbols.

EX: I am an entrepreneur.
I value enjoyment in my work and I enjoy working for myself. I do not think that everyone should work for themselves. I believe in finding enjoyment of work and that has nothing to do with the tasks that you actually perform or levels of success that I achieve.

EX: I am a wife
I value partnership but also individuation. My relationship with my husband is high value for me, but not if I am going to lose myself in being with him.

Expressing yourself through your values creates a broader expression of who you can be in any given moment without feelings like you are betraying yourself in some way if you do not always adhere to that narrow view.

Give this a think and see if it resonates.