“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”— Brené Brown
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”— Oscar Wilde
This week’s word from Lauryn Axelrod’s Ten Words: An Interspiritual Guide to Becoming Better People in a Better World is “authenticity.” This is a hard one. We often believe ourselves to be authentic all while wearing the façade that we think others want to see. This, I believe, is what the authors above are admonishing us not to do.
Finding our authentic self is a life-long process for most. Some figure it out earlier rather than later (and some figure it out but hide their authentic self for whatever reasons).
Trying to be someone or something other than who we are is an insult to the world and to the Creator. The world needs us to be who we are.
The second of the Ten Words is “acceptance.” To be truly authentic, we must first accept ourselves. We don’t have to like who we are per se. We can change, and we must grow. Acceptance of oneself is to embrace where we are, and authenticity is the willingness to be vulnerable and open about who we are. These are challenging but necessary actions that will prepare us for the remaining 7 Words and catalyze our growth.
Authenticity is the window that permits others to have a peek at who we really are and us to begin to grow into who we are becoming and to become.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!!