Authenticity: The Key to a Healthy Life

person with dog at pondOne of my favorite quotes is by author Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

How can you have a healthy, honest, transparent, happy, authentic relationship with the world if you are not true to yourself? To be authentic means to be genuine and real—not counterfeit. Living an authentic life is necessary because it gives us the freedom from always trying to be someone or something we are not.

Getting to a place of living an authentic life is a journey, but it is worth it. Everyone’s journey to authenticity is and will be different. The important thing is that you have recognized and identified your struggles and fears, and have taken your first steps toward liberation of those fears.

Living an authentic life begins with being honest and sincere with yourself. It starts with believing in yourself and letting go of fears, self-doubt, and insecurities. Each of these traits and habits can hold you back from living and being alive—not just surviving. It starts with watering seeds of self-confidence and self-esteem as opposed to fear, worry, anxiety, and depression. It starts with learning to use your stumbling blocks as stepping stones. The fear of being authentic creates self-doubt and insecurities in us. Being able to pick yourself up after falling and recognizing that (no matter how long it takes), it is not the end and you have power beyond measures—this is what it looks like to use your stumbling blocks as stepping stones.

Understanding that you are power beyond measure can help you in your daily communication. People who are inauthentic may have a more difficult time gaining the trust of others. If you are inauthentic and insincere, you may find others are less likely to believe in you. Be mindful of your motivation. Trust is more likely to come naturally in your relationships with people once you have established honesty and transparency.

Imagine a living a life in which your physical and emotional state is in harmony simply because you have learned how to be authentic with yourself. Imagine a life in which it is easier to deal with the pain of everyday stressors, recognize your feelings, and express them in an authentic way, and imagine the happiness this would bring to your life!

Ask yourself the following in your meditation:

  • Can I be authentically available to others if I am not authentic to myself?
  • Can I be truly happy if I am not living an authentic life?
  • By living my authentic life, can I liberate others to do the same?

Sometimes you have to make a deliberate effort into taking those first few steps.

Five-part guided meditation mantra:

  • I am powerful.
  • I am brilliant.
  • I am talented.
  • I have what it takes.
  • I will do what it takes.

Yes, life is a journey. It is your journey. It can be your authentic or your inauthentic journey. Trust your instincts and decide today which path on this journey it will be.

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  • Cheri

    August 19th, 2016 at 7:30 AM

    love that meditation mantra

  • Nancy E.

    August 19th, 2016 at 1:57 PM

    “How can you have a healthy, honest, transparent, happy, authentic relationship with the world if you are not true to yourself?”

    This is the absolute truth, and that which I struggle to follow daily! If I am not willing to be true to myself and my own beliefs I will never get to the destination that I am supposed to be going. Nor will I ever be able to make a marked difference in another’s life either.

  • Marie

    August 22nd, 2016 at 7:46 AM

    No truer words have ever been written
    if you deny your true self, then ultimately you are denying your own path to happiness

  • frank T

    August 23rd, 2016 at 8:18 AM

    Allowing inauthentic people to exercise control over you is damaging as well.

  • Millie

    August 23rd, 2016 at 2:13 PM

    The thing that scares many people off of this path is that very early on they start to see that this kind of journey is rarely going to be a cake walk. Sometimes it will be great and then there will be other times where you are forced to face some very difficult truths and realities. I think that when they start to face those things, then they want to shut down and they lose focus on what the end result is or could be. I don’t think that they are in it for the long haul that this kind of journey will require of anyone.

  • tamara

    August 25th, 2016 at 10:38 AM

    preach!!

  • Elle

    August 29th, 2016 at 6:22 PM

    Do you ever just feel like you are completely lying to yourself about who you really are and lying to the people around you because it’s just somehow easier to bury who you really are and just conform to what you think everyone expects?

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