Show Up as Your Authentic Self

MATTHEW REYNOLDS

What does it mean to be your authentic self? Your authentic self is who you truly are as a person, the honest representation of you, regardless of how others may see you. Who are you in your heart of hearts and how does your heart of hearts want to show up and move throughout the world? 

To truly show up as your authentic self, you first have to know your true self and accept yourself for who you are. As Brene Brown, Ph.D, so beautifully expresses in this quote: “Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it.” It is not easy to fully embrace yourself and live true to only you. It takes courage and vulnerability. 

As we grow up, we are indoctrinated to be how people see us, based on how we look, where we are from, who our families are, what school we go to, and the list goes on and on. We are expected to behave in a certain way based on factors and criteria that society places on us. To step out of that mold that we have been put into, takes courage. Being able to truly know ourselves and who we are, besides the boxes people put us in, means we have to be honest and vulnerable with ourselves and allow our true persona to shine through. We have to sift through all the negative things we’ve been told, the stories we’ve seen in the media, and even the history we have lived, and extract the weeds that prevent our authentic self from blossoming.   

So yes, showing up as your authentic self is demanding and requires you to constantly ensure that you are being honest and true to yourself, examine your motivations, analyze your external influences, and love who you are. Don’t let anyone tell you who you should be or how you should feel. When you get to this point, the rewards are plentiful. You will then be able to move through life knowing that you are truly impacting those around you, not with platitudes and others’ expectations of you, but with your true beliefs and convictions. 

I have made this my life’s work through helping folx Craft their Equity Lens, stripping away the outside influences while learning how society and people around them have influenced their thinking and moving to the person they are today. 

Are you ready to show up as your authentic self? Register now for my next Craft Your Equity Lens Open Group.