At the end of the day, we all just want to be seen and understood. We want to be allowed to be our authentic selves. What’s holding us back? Here are 6 signs that I’ve gathered…
But First, what does it mean to be your Authentic Self?
For me, to be authentic is to be honest, and true to myself despite distractions and outside influences.
What could be holding you back:
1. The Idea that you have to act | You may feel like you have to act like everything is OK and that nothing is ever wrong.
2. You’re forced to fit a mold, to do things and do them in a way that are not true to your heart | You do what others think you should do. You weigh other’s opinions and suggestions over your own.
3. You’re often times misunderstood | When you are being yourself you’re criticized and told that you can’t be that way (directly or indirectly).
4. You try to fit an ideal that you think is perfect | You often feel like you are striving for perfection, striving to please others in fear that you will let others down.
5. Not taking the time | You’re not spending enough time with yourself, getting to know yourself or with people who support/see you.
6. Not following your heart/what you know and feel within | When you simply go against what your heart/intuition is trying to tell you, you immediately become off course from being in your authentic space, you stunt the growth and the ability to be true to your authentic self.
How can you relate? Share the things that seem to be holding you back in the comments below. And don’t forget to share with someone who could use these words.
Don’t forget to follow my social networks: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | LinkedIn
Great read! This ties into number 4, but I would say modeling your life after someone else’s. Everyone’s path is different and while it’s great to receive inspiration from the journeys of others, ultimately we must remember we’re on our own path that brings its own unique experiences.
When I think of the word authentic, I think of the prashe What you see is what you get. The picture I see is Cindy’s grandfather Lee Cauthen. He was a quite man who loved his family and love the Lord. When you saw him he would always be wearing his overalls or coveralls with a piece of tobacco in his mouth.I remember the first time I ever saw him he was in his coveralls and chewing tobacco. We had only been there for a few minutes and he had offered me some tobacco. He was just like that the whole time I saw him.He had a very large family with eight children and he loved each one the same. It was the same with his grandchildren and also his great grands. Mr. Cauthen never had much growing up on the mill village and then raising his family on that same village. He also fought in the worse part of WWII in Normandy but came home safe.He never talked about himself, he just wanted to know about you. He never complained and always had that smile up to his death.The one thing he loved the most was Jesus and that what makes me associate him with the word AUTHENTIC. Mr. Cauthen was a simple man who loved people and would give anyone his last dollar if they needed it. So it is with Jesus. He gave us his all, even his life.You see AUTHENTIC is What you see is what you get. That is the picture I see of Grandpa Lee and also of JESUS.
Enlightening; I can definently relate to all 6.
, be truthful, be fitahful, and never conform to what the it crowd is doing just to fit in. Be who you are & be proud of it. Being authentic is having everyone you know say the same thing about you because you act the same (nice, or negative) with everyone of them. It’s like eating an apple, you know what it taste like so you expect that everytime you bite into it. You should be that way everytime people encouter you, already knowing what they are going to get.
When I think of authentic, I think of the woman who sinend and was going to be stone. The crowd saw the outside but Jesus saw the inside. He knew what she had done but He knew her heart. We should all be like Jesus we should search for the inside and not the outside. I am adding this, I have often wondered what he wrote in the sand, I believe he wrote the names of the men who she had been with. They probably were the ones wanting to cast the stones.