This Is What Authenticity Means To Me

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?

Is It Really About You?

Life is more than you. It is more than what you are going through in your life. Whatever it is that is keeping you up at night, that is standing between you and your happiness, that is standing between you and your growth, that is keeping you where you are, you must not take it personally.

Go out there and live your life. Because you are here to live, not to watch. You are here to create your own life. In the words of Iman Oubou, ‘If you’re facing a challenge, consider whether it’s a challenge for only you or for everyone?’

If it is for only you, then ask yourself, ‘What am I missing here? What is going on that I am not paying attention to? How can I make things better?’ Do not beat yourself up. Instead, lift yourself up.

You can make a difference in your life. You can turn things around. Why not now? Why not where you are? And why not with what you have?