Authenticity is being truthful about who we are. Letting ourselves be genuinely seen.
And then, of course, experiencing the consequences of that.
Many of those consequences are beautiful, joyful, liberating — while yes, others can be painful. Expressing our uniqueness, our true thoughts and feelings? It’s a gamble.
So often, that gamble pays off…
It can bring a sense of pride, integrity, deep connection, and true belonging.
There’s the profound soul-satisfaction of letting our gifts and strengths shine and of responding to the call of our deepest longings. There’s also the fuller, richer experience of life when we stop shutting parts of ourselves down.
And no matter how others respond to us, there’s also a sense of freedom and release when we stop censoring ourselves or pretending about who we are, how we feel, or what we want.
But to claim all of those payoffs, we need to risk the possibility of disapproval and rejection. And we need to breathe through the discomfort of being present with all of our emotions and experiences, even the hard ones.
And so it takes courage to be our truest selves.
And it also takes both “inner work” and “outer work”…
Because authentic living isn’t just about showing ourselves to the world. It is first and foremost about listening to and looking at our own selves in a spirit of openness and acceptance. It’s about connecting with a sense of our own inherent worthiness and allowing ourselves to be the beautiful, messy, imperfect humans that we are.
The focus on Authenticity this month may be one of the most profound and essential themes we’ve explored together. But really, it’s not new — because we work on and celebrate authenticity every month inside this beautiful community.
I’m looking forward to deepening the conversation this month, though, as we explore Authenticity together more directly.