The “A” Word…Authenticity

“Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice…a conscious choice of how we want to live. Authenticity is a collection of choices 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 our true selves be seen” -Brene Brown

There’s so much to be said about Authenticity that I do not know where or how I want to approach this topic. There are so many great quotes out there on authenticity that I could fill an entire page and just leave you to reflect on them. Maybe bringing it back to basics is a good place to start. I saw a  quote that exemplifies it perfectly – “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” As with everything in life, it comes down to the choices we make on a daily basis. It’s truly a daily practice and one that requires us to first get “real” with ourselves.

Throughout our lives, we are taught to act a certain way, look a certain way, speak a certain way, we are imbued with primitive instinctual behaviors and dogmatic ideals. We  are led to believe that this is how we will be safe, successful, liked, loved, accepted and respected. Then what happens? We spend most of our adult life “undoing” all those belief systems because we’ve found they didn’t serve us. How do we know they didn’t serve us? Well our body has a wonderful way of letting us know. When we aren’t being authentic, real, transparent, truthful, and our true selves, lots of dis-ease forms in the body and manifests into rage, anger, pain, eating disorders, self-loathing, extreme weight gain/loss,  anxiety, depression, substance abuse and addictions of all sorts, resentment and the list goes on….. Is this a way to live?

So, at some point the realization hits us and we realize we don’t want to live that way. And that’s when the work of “undoing” everything we are NOT commences. It requires us to have that “aha moment” and make the conscious choice to start doing things differently. And yes, it requires work (remember the peeling away the layers of the onion visual). That’s when a lot of us embark on the quest to “find ourselves” only to realize we were there all along but lacked the courage to simply be who we are….perfect, whole, unique and complete just the way we are. We learn to stand up for and embrace our self-values, self- worth, self-respect and integrity. We practice self-awareness and self-acceptance. We find our voice. Eventually, we find ourselves stepping into a field  where we are willing to live life without pretense or defense. We learn to tell the truth, ask for what we need, communicate it clearly, kindly and compassionately. There is so much freedom in doing so! We stop the compromising that doesn’t serve us. We learn to let go of who we thought we were supposed to be and embrace who we are. More importantly, we accept, acknowledge and step into our Divine uniqueness and magnificence. How liberating is that?

I don’t know about you, but I like affirmations. They are powerful statements and they work! Just look at those limiting beliefs we’ve all had at some point in our lives and the power they had over us! Yep….thoughts are powerful! Given the choice, wouldn’t you prefer to fill your beautiful head space and your surroundings with positive, powerful and uplifting thoughts? Of course you would!

Affirmations from Iyanla Vanzant’s Inner Vision institute

• Today, I am connected firmly and passionately to my true self.
• I realize my potential, and I honor it by allowing myself to be uniquely me.
• I consciously release all false versions of who I thought I was and consciously replace them with a connection to my authentic self.
• The most secure place of impact in my life happens when I am honest myself. Today, I choose honesty!
• I create loving relationships from a place of knowing who I am (really am).
• In this moment, I focus my attention of using my time and talents to create a world that supports a greater unfoldment on Life.
• Today, I align my inner, higher Self with my day to day activities, blessing everything that requires me to change and grow.
• Today, I stand grounded in the power of my most authentic self.

I encourage you to do what my friend Jenn (shiftforwellness.com) suggests: write these affirmations on post-its, place them around your home or workplace. I would also add to make them into signs, posters, banners, use them to journal….be creative, use your imagination and have fun with them. The point is, that affirmations and visuals are  powerfully pleasing. Here’s to you, your truth, your voice, your spirit, your authenticity and your beautiful, whole and complete Self!

Remember darlings, life is too short to pretend….choose to be real!

Inhale Love…Exhale Gratitude, JTC