Authentic Self

"Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment, or before the world starts pushing you around and telling you who you're supposed to be. Your fictional self is who you are when you have a social mask on to please everyone else. Give yourself permission to be your authentic self." ~ Dr. Phil

Lately, I've been on a journey to find my authentic self, answering the questions "Who am I really?" and "Am I being all that I'm meant to be?" Living who I was created to be not who the outside world thinks I should be. Am I living my life using my true gifts and talents? Or am I doing and acting how others expect me to act?

Part of this quest stems from this burning feeling inside of me that I'm not all that I want to be. That somewhere along the line something changed. A light switch went on, or bells went off, or something clicked in my head. The career that once held so much fulfillment, no longer held the same sweetness. Those things that once stirred me and motivated me have changed because I realized I've changed. Since opening up myself to new experiences as well as letting go of fears that have held me back, reconnecting myself to passions once lost and forgotten.

I've been reading articles and books on identifying what my authentic self is, which have definitely helped direct me. I have to say....I'm frustrated. Partly because I want it NOW! LOL But partly because I feel like I'm going through this whole metamorphosis and my wings are struggling to burst through the cocoon!

On the flip side, I must be discovering more of my authentic self if I'm realizing what I am now doesn't feel right. That what I'm doing now just isn't working for me anymore. That it doesn't feel "authentic" or true to myself. So, am getting there...just slowly. I guess I'm learning how to be patient too.



When it comes to authenticity, Nathaniel Hawthorne eloquently summed it up when he said, "No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one."

Becoming your authentic self can lead to peace and greater fulfillment in your life, not to mention less confusion on what you are and what you truly want from life, career, passions, etc.

Good luck finding and living your authentic selves!

~Fearlessly40


Here are a few resources that I found helpful:
"Defining Your Authentic Self". Dr. Phil. http://drphil.com/articles/article/73
"Will the Real Authentic Voices Please Stand Up and Be Heard". Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-food-is-family/201112/will-the-real-authentic-voices-please-stand-and-be-heard