It is so important to be authentic. The biggest stress in our life comes from moving away from our authenticity and living a life we know is not natural to us. The confidence and courage of being authentic release us from the huge bondage we sometimes live with.
To be authentic we need to know ourselves. Often we get so influenced and carried away with so much going on around us, we get confused as to our true nature. In our effort to seek legitimacy and acceptance, somewhere we lose our authenticity. Being true to ourselves is living a truthful life.
Authenticity comes from inner self-belief. We build relationships on acceptance and mutual respect, rather than conforming to the expectations of others. We not only respect others who make choices different than ours, but we also operate from a space of self-belief where we find it comfortable holding our ground.
It comes from knowing that each one of us is special in our own way. The beauty of life lies in living our specialty rather than trying to become something we are not. It is better to live our own life with joy rather than try and live someone else’s life that looks more appealing from the outside.
It comes from finding the courage, or rather the conviction to live the way we are most comfortable with, even if we the only ones. Trying to ‘fit in’ by going against our grain will never make us happy.
It comes from not falling into the trap of comparisons. We must of course be aware of what goes on around us; being joyful in the success of others and supportive in their time of need, but neither feeling big or small ourselves.
In a world where we carry several relationships, we often need to adapt. Adapting to a style or a culture, without losing our essence is not compromising our authenticity. Not standing by our principles and finding it uncomfortable to assert ourselves certainly is. If we are unable to be honest in a relationship, we are not being authentic in that relationship.
It is only when we ourselves discover the beauty of our uniqueness, and accept ourselves will others be accepting of us. Steeped in our inner security we will no longer have to struggle to gain legitimacy at the cost of our authenticity.
(Pic- Near Kenmare, Ireland)
Thank you Vivek for a beautiful description of the word and quality of being authentic.
In context, Two metaphors from nature quickly come to mind. One is Water and the other Gold. The degree of purity of both these naturally existing materials is a fine example for authenticity.