Authenticity is not something that others bestow upon you from the outside. You should learn to listen and let it bubble up from the inside. What is your shadow trying to tell you? How is your inner child attempting to direct you? Are you thriving in your lane while adhering to the guardrails, or are you only getting by while going through the motions on autopilot? I do not think we are here to simply survive. I believe we should fully embody our entire being, embracing an authentic life that is unapologetically pure and soulful.
The authentic self is the Soul made visible.
-Sarah Ban Breathnach
Don’t be afraid of losing people, but be afraid of losing yourself trying to make everyone happy.
-Naguib Mahfouz
Will everyone appreciate and value your authentic self? No. Perhaps you remind them of their shadow or something that they are choosing to avoid and not confront themselves. It says more about them than you, and it allows you another opportunity to practice the second guardrail more effectively by not taking their reaction(s) personally. If you keep putting in the work to improve, then you may notice the stagnation of many around you. Feeling a desire to help is natural for most, but we waste time trying to help any who are not ready to help themselves. Offer aid if you wish, but also be prepared to set aside work that does not belong to you in order to maintain your best focus and mindset.
If you want to live your most authentic life, you’ve got to include the self beneath the surface.
-Jay Shetty
When you choose to embrace authenticity, you enjoy witnessing a truly beautiful life unfold. It can be intimidating to some who are not yet prepared for such a personal transformation. For likeminded individuals, though, you can help them burn even brighter alongside you. That is the beauty of authenticity. It is not competitive. It is cooperative and synergistic. Truly authentic people will easily and happily build one another up.
it's the friends who help you reconnect
with your original mission and values
who make a substantial difference in your life
sometimes it just takes one conversation
with someone who is radically authentic
to reignite your inner fire
and help you get back on the right path
-yung pueblo
Like I heard from a dear friend last week, how can we all be our true and noble selves? One way to start is to quiet your mind in order to listen to your heart. Then, eventually, you can also begin to quiet your heart in order to listen to your soul. You have the power. Do you choose to use it, or will you continue to live an inauthentic life that is incomplete?
Most powerful [are they] who [have themself] in [their] own power.
-Seneca
Absolute authenticity requires conscious control of your complete self. Perhaps not down to each and every bodily function internally but certainly to the point that it covers all of your actions and choices externally. Emotions and feelings will come and go, but what you do with all that information that the world provides is in your power. Will you own it all, or will you continue to give it up? I believe in you. We can bloom. I am trying so hard to shine my authentic light for all of us. I am also shining my authentic darkness when it best helps myself and those around me. Therein rests true beauty, embracing wholeness as a perfectly imperfect being. A work of art who may never be finished mastering peace.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.