In this series, The Real You, we will be answering the question “What is Authenticity?” by breaking it up into 4 posts.
What is Authenticity? It is…
[list style=”style6″]
[li]Knowing who you are[/li]
[li]Matching Your Priorities to Your Principles[/li]
[li]Not trying to be someone else (Copycats & Comparisons)[/li]
[li]Perhaps not everything you thought it was (7 Misconceptions about Authenticity)[/li]
[/list]
Today’s post may be the most crucial because how can you be the real you if you don’t even know who you are?
Why even care about “the real you” and authenticity?
Because I firmly believe that an understanding of self is the birthplace of an authentic, lasting, positive growth. Authenticity is the KEY to personal growth. It is the secret ingredient for a much better life. It is why I’ve made my tagline “know yourself, grow yourself.”
Have you ever tried to follow someone’s advice for reaching a certain goal (i.e. weight loss, better grades in school, improving your time management, etc.) and it just didn’t work for you? Well why did it work for the other person but not you? We’ll get into more specifics on the blog, but basically it’s because everyone is different. There are some things that will always be helpful and true, but some methods won’t work for everyone because we’re all too unique to fit into neat and tidy little how-to boxes.
What motivates me may not motivate you. What I fear may not scare you one bit. What time of day I’m most alert and productive may not be your best time of day. What works for me may not work for you. But the more you learn about yourself, the more you can filter the tips and advice you receive and modify it to work for YOU and YOUR unique needs. You’ll begin to learn what works for you and what doesn’t (and understand WHY!).
When someone asks you the question “who are you?“, how do you respond?
Perhaps you say your name and list some deeply rooted parts of yourself (such as your personality type). Perhaps you describe yourself by your current roles and relationships (such as engineer or mother). Or perhaps you mention parts of you that have changed and transformed throughout your life but currently have great significance to you (such as your specific hopes, dreams, and goals).
These all have a play in what makes you uniquely you. There are a few key parts of your personality that, despite your experience and maturation, will (at its very core) stay the same. There are also parts of you that grow, bend, and even change completely as you face new life experiences and develop as a person, but they aren’t any less a part of you in the current step of your journey that you are in.
Why is knowing who you are, even small details, so important?
Because the more you know yourself, the more you can grow yourself.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”UldX4″ via=”no” ]”The more you KNOW yourself, the more you can GROW yourself.”[/ctt]
There is such power in understanding who you are. Likewise, there is such destruction in a misunderstanding of who you are. How you perceive yourself affects how you think, how you feel, how you act…it affects EVERYTHING! I know personally how much it can hurt when you’re in a place of questioning who you are or why you are the way you are or how you fit in this world. It’s a deep soul-piercing kind of hurt.
Likewise, I know the feeling that comes when you grasp something new about yourself — and that is a feeling of such relief and peace and joy! It’s one of the best feelings in the world! That moment when it clicks and something perhaps you’ve been struggling with suddenly makes sense. You can read a bit about my story on my About Page. But I also want to share some inspiring stories from other REAL people who have been positively affected by learning something about themselves.
[info_box type=”pale_box”]”I was diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder last year. I was scared. I thought that who I am and how I was going to live was now defined by these titles. It took me a few months to learn to accept these changes. I realize now that it made me into a stronger person. These struggles don’t have to define me unless I let them. I can still live my life and enjoy things even when I’m having a panic attack or flashbacks.”[/info_box]
[info_box type=”midnight_box”]”I love to teach and speak, so I always assumed that meant I was an extrovert. When I discovered that I’m really an introvert, my life totally changed! I suddenly was able to accept my need for down time and alone time, instead of being critical and thinking there was something wrong with me. I stopped feeling like an outsider, and started honoring who I am on a more profound level.”[/info_box]
[info_box type=”pale_box”]”I am much stronger than I believed. I didn’t realize that my determination shoots to my core. I was in a car accident three years ago and it upheaved my life. It set back my schooling, marriage to my long term boyfriend (I needed to deal with my emotional stress first), my fitness routine, everything. Time stopped because I suffered a concussion and I couldn’t remember anything for three months after. But I pushed through and that following semester I managed to get As and Bs. I am married now. I am pursuing those dreams I thought I had lost and I am reaching them. I never thought myself capable of anything great until I had to learn how to learn. I still have memory issues to this day but because of those circumstances I realize I am much stronger, much smarter, than I originally believed.”[/info_box]
[info_box type=”midnight_box”]”One thing that comes to mind is when I went through premarital counseling with my husband before we got married. Realizing how each of us react and our personalities have helped us communicate better and work through problems.”[/info_box]
Imagine what it would be like to constantly learn more about yourself and use that knowledge to accelerate your growth into a better version of yourself each day. Imagine what it would be like to know the strategies you needed to take to consistently reach your goals. Imagine what it would be like to communicate with the people around you more effectively and strengthen your relationships. Imagine what it would be like to pinpoint your fears and know what it takes to grow in your courage.
That life can be yours, my friend. It just takes patience and a motivation to put in the work to learn more about yourself. I would love to help you in this journey. That’s what I’m here for. I’m here to help YOU understand who you are and cultivate who you want to be.
Are you ready to take this journey with me? If so, join my team by subscribing below. This will put you on my mailing list and give you access to my secret resources page where you can grab my eBook for free called The Real You: The Ultimate Guide to Knowing Yourself and Developing Authenticity. In it you will find more information and worksheets to help you work through what we talked about today and more!
[do_widget id=enews-ext-5]