Honoring your Authentic Self

 Sometimes the term “authentic self” becomes a struggle for many people because they do not understand the defining factors of the term. Here, the word authentic means your true self. It is what you are from inside. From the very first day of your life, you are told to look outside of yourself for the meaning of life. Truth is, nothing lies outside your own creation, it is within your heart and soul that your authentic spirit shines the brightest. The question “Who am I?” can only be answered when you learn how to honor your authentic self and be courageous enough to express it. While searching for various ways to help individuals connect with their authentic self, I discovered a few important pearls of wisdom along the way for honoring your unique spirit.

Stop Blaming Yourself For Everything

Often times you will hear coaches and leaders in the industry talk about how everything in your world is the product of your own thinking, feeling, and choices (or behavior). This is true to a degree, but there are moments where life just happens, and you have to respond. Go easy on the pressure or blame you put on yourself. We are human and make mistakes. If you can fix it or change it, then do so. If you can’t, practice forgiveness, acceptance, or letting go of the situation so you can move forward with a clear conscious. There is enough blame in the world today, you don’t have to add to it by feeling responsible for 100% or everything.

Love Yourself Unconditionally

This is actually hard to do. We can easily offer unconditional love to others in need, however, when it comes to offering it to ourselves for some reason, we fall short. I like to tell my clients to ask themselves if their child, friend, or other family member was in the same situation, what would you say to them? Responses range from telling them everything will be ok, they are not a bad person, and that they are still loved. Treat yourself as your best friend and offer love to yourself unconditionally. You are worthy of it and you deserve it. Use personal mantras like “I am beautiful”, “I love myself more than anything”, and “I am amazing” as often as you can remember. Eventually you will start believing it and your authentic self will be so happy.

Choose What And Who You Listen To Carefully

Everybody has an opinion, and most people will share it with you whether you want it or not. Sometimes is it hard to protect your heart when you’re on the receiving end of comments that aren’t so nice. Mind drama sets in, and you begin to swirl in feelings that destroy your perception of the beautiful soul you are. If you are not protective of your value, self-worth, and honor your authentic self, then you can easily become codependent upon what others think about you and allow their opinions to influence the way you feel about yourself in a negative way. Be picky about who you have in your life and only choose the highest and happiest spirits to hang around- it’s truly for your own good.

Honor Your Spirit and What Makes You Happy

Pay attention to the things, people, and places that make you smile. Focus on bringing more joy into your life on a daily basis. If you want something, get it (within reason). If you need some down time, take it. If you need some extra TLC, give it to yourself. Refuse to sell yourself short because of money, time, or any other excuse you use as your go-to response to sell yourself short. Practice self-preservation which is very different than selfishness. Honor your spirit by simple yet powerful actions, thoughts, and feelings that remind you how special and unique you are.

Bottom Line

As you discover the silent whispers of your soul and start listening to them, you will find your authentic self waiting to be honored and shared with the world. But first, you must be willing to make room within and clean house on the outside. This includes letting go of people, situations, relationship, and material things that hold you back for living your best life. Barbara de Angelis said it best, “We need to find the courage to say ‘NO’ to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity”.