How to show your authentic self?

Authenticity comes with getting to know ourselves, with the courage and the space to show ourselves the way we truly want.
How to show your authentic self, despite all the fears you might have for being judged?

There are more than 8 billion human beings on this planet. Human beings with unique personalities, ideas, experiences, cultural backgrounds, stories, feelings, emotions, etc. and, whether we admit it or not, we all have something in common: We thrive when we feel we have a meaningful interaction and even more: we thrive, when we feel we can be just the way we are. In this society, it’s not always easy to express how we actually feel or share our true opinion. Honesty is a fine value but not everyone is willing to listen mindfully. There is still a lot of judgement, a lot of stereotypes, a lot of boxes. Our brain tries to cope with different situations by putting experiences and people in boxes. Our brain tries to protect us and helps us to take decisions quicker. Sometimes though, it stops us from experiencing or trying something out of fear. And our brain sometimes stops us to open up in a way we would like to, just because we are afraid about the opinions of others.

Over the last weeks I’ve had some beautiful, honest, quite vulnerable conversations in different professional and personal settings, and in every situation we came to the same conclusion: When we create the space for vulnerability and authenticity, we can all be vulnerable and authentic.
But how to create that space? It all starts with us… as always…

In order to show your authentic self, you need to get to know yourself first. It’s crucial to spend some time with yourself to understand your personal needs, values and what kind of people you actually want to spend your time with. Our time is limited so let’s spend it wisely. Spend time with yourself to get to know yourself, to become your first interlocutor, to understand your fears and to give yourself space to dream: https://littlehealthyhabits.com/how-to-spend-time-with-yourself-and-why/. The better we feel with ourselves, the better we will feel with others. Practicing a kind and loving self-talk can be a great tool to come closer to ourselves and improve our own wellbeing. And it helps us in those situations, where we showed our true self and maybe we didn’t feel accepted? Be kind to yourself, say: “I have done my best, in my best intention. I’m learning and this experience will help me in the future.” instead of crucifying yourself for being you. More in this article: https://littlehealthyhabits.com/what-conversation-do-you-have-with-yourself/.

The beautiful thing is, in my experience: The more we get to know ourselves, the more we get to know our values and needs, the wiser we choose the people who give us company or the conversations we would like to have – and the easier it is in those spaces – where people are aligned with our values and needs – to show our most authentic version.

We all have different needs. One situation or setting might really benefit one person while another person might feel uncomfortable. No matter what’s your current situation or how you think about this topic: I promise you there are spaces and communities and people where you will feel heard, listened to, not directly judged or rejected for your opinions. There are people out there who are grateful that you shared your story, that you stood by your opinion or that you acted how you felt – and not how everyone else might have done.
Our mission in this life is to find the people who give us those spaces and to take a leap of faith, to have a bit of courage. And if it wasn’t the right community or person, then there will come another one who appreciates you. It’s all a path of learning. If you have already found your (group of) people who you can be your most authentic self with – then make sure to be grateful. Say THANK YOU. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to be ourselves. I’ve talked to so many people about this lately and I believe we can all contribute to create a society where everyone can show their unique, authentic self. It starts with me. It starts with you. It starts with all of us to create this space for the ones around us.

PD: This blog has a unique approach. It’s what was truly on my mind (and heart) this week. And I am convinced in this community, in my community, I can share thoughts and articles like this one. THANK YOU for being part of this community, for reading me, for giving me this space.