Authenticity means more than just telling the truth. Because we know when we are not being honest with ourselves. We also know when we are human beings, when we are who we really are.
To me, being true to myself is everything. It means everything to me. It is simple. If I am not myself, then who am I? If I can’t live my life, then why am I here? If I can’t tell the truth, then my values are not my values.
To me, I am being true to myself when I am not afraid to raise my voice, when I am not afraid to represent what is right, when I am being honest with other people, when I am being honest with myself, when I have the courage to follow my heart, to listen to my inner self, when I can dig deeper into what makes me who I am today, when I can live my values, when I can work my values, when I can speak my values, when I believe in myself, and when I believe that the world is more than me.
I am being true to other people when I treat them as human beings, not as animals, when I pay attention to their stories, to their experiences. Why is that? Because I want to know them. I want to know where they are coming from. And I want to know how I can help them.
Because being true to others means you are there when they need you, not when you want something from them. That is manipulation.
When you are being authentic to yourself and to other people, the world wants to meet you.
To you, what does authenticity mean?
