You should never have to say you are an authentic person.
Other people should say that about you. It’s one of the most genuine things people can call you behind your back. And you should be proud of it.
If you worry constantly about what people think about you, you’re probably working really hard to please everyone. In doing so, you are sacrificing your sense of self. It’s obscuring your true identity.
Social media is a giant highlight reel of what people think you want to see. More and more “being authentic” has become a tagline instead of a foundational brand value.
The famous quote by Oscar Wilde states:
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.
Shame, outside influence, expectations, avatars, brands and societal norms have been defining who you are and shaping you to fit a submissive version conducive to their one-size-fits-all protocol for an ideal customer.
Innovators, pioneers, ground breaking technology, catalysts for change, reform, advancement, and cutting edge discoveries, designs and deviations from the norm have all come about because someone dared to think DIFFERENTLY while being unapologetically themselves.
Who are you?
That question sends chills directly down the spine, straight into the souls of some people. Instead of being real, honest and sincere, their definitions tend to be depicted by material possessions, antiquated milestones, career titles, gender roles and even their sexuality. Sure, all of those things comprise some part of what you have going on in your life and maybe even who you are at your core. But if you strip away all the things and you’re rendered titleless by unemployment, trauma, tragedy, medical interventions, or otherwise—what the hell is left over? You are more than the sum of your parts.
The stuff/things/activities/people that make you feel whole are signals and beacons connecting and highlighting something settled deep down in a forgotten, secret place you locked up and forgot about a long time ago.
Who told you to stop doing those things you loved as a child? Your parent(s) or caregivers, teachers, authority figures, politicians, peers, etc. who were enforcing a Code of Conduct? Maybe that’s where your anxiety, fear and resentment were born.
Then, every time you ask yourself why you’re such a sad, lonely, miserable, unfulfilled human being, their words come flooding back, echoing the invalid claims that aren’t legitimately substantiated.
Honestly, their compliance + dedication to upholding these rules are also based on learned, enforced anxiety, fear and resentment passed down through generations of ancestral adherence to remain seen and not heard.
It’s time to EMERGE.
It’s time to stop trying so fucking hard to be yourself.
You shouldn’t have to TRY.
Be yourself.
Let it all hang out. That is self-love. That is self-care. That is self-respect. That is self-confidence.
This sense of self that seems so elusive is still alive and well. It’s the fire inside you stoked and fueled by all those things you loved as a child and still love very much today.
Ask yourself what you wanted to be when you grew up. What did your young, impressionable self dream of becoming?
Does that still sound exciting?
You can still be that person.
Don’t wait any longer.
Share your childhood dream and how you feel about it now in the comments below.
