Do you ever feel as if you’re wearing a mask? Or should you act in a certain way or say certain things to be accepted? It happens to the best of us when sometimes, instead of being ourselves, we’re playing a role to fit in or to impress others. So, how do we get about practicing authenticity?
Most of us have gone through times like this. Instead of behaving genuinely, we tell people what we think they want to hear and act in ways that go against our true nature.
Living and working this way is tiring, dispiriting, and confining, and it can also hold us back from reaching our true potential. The opposite of this is to live and work authentically. When we permit ourselves to be ourselves, we can live free from others’ ideas and expectations and choose our life course.
We may struggle to be authentic due to a lack of self-esteem, fear of judgment by others, and a strong desire for others to like us. Past experiences from childhood that led to being shut down when we spoke our truth can mistakenly teach us that it isn’t safe to be genuine.
What is authenticity in life?
Authenticity means you’re true to your personality, values, and spirit, regardless of your pressure to act otherwise. To practice authenticity in life, you must be honest with yourself and others and take responsibility for your mistakes.
Why be authentic?
Sometimes it is easy to be one of the many fish in the sea than to swim in the opposite direction. Isn’t it? But what if you always chose to go against the crowd? Sounds unconventional, and it can come with the tag of being selfish and unconventional and opening yourself up to the possibility of others hurting you.
Benefits of practicing authenticity in life
Living an authentic life is more rewarding than hiding your true self. When you live authentically, you don’t have to worry about what you said (or didn’t say), how you acted, or whether you did the right thing. There are several other benefits of being authentic.
Integrity: When you’re authentic, you don’t hesitate to do the right thing, so you never have to second-guess yourself.
Less stress: Being authentic to yourself is far less stressful than someone you are not. This is apt because you choose to say what you mean and live happily for yourself.
Trust and respect: When you’re true to yourself, you trust your judgments and decisions, and others also trust you.
Realizing potential: When you are authentic, you know your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to control your life and make the right decisions.
Ability to deal with problems: When honest, you have the strength and openness to deal with issues rather than ignoring or avoiding them.
Higher confidence and self-esteem: You can trust yourself to make the right decisions when genuine. This leads to higher self-confidence, self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction.
Your values, actions, and ideals will align when you learn how to be authentic in life. And when you practice authenticity in life, you come across as genuine and willing to accept the consequences of being true to what you consider right. These were some tips on how to be authentic in life. What are some of your tips on how to be authentic in life? Leave a comment on what is authenticity for you.
A good post! Best wishes for the challenge.
Thank you for stopping by Rajeev!
Wonderfully penned. All the best. Would love to read more
Thank you so much!
Agree with your post, Pratibha. Being our authentic self can at first be difficult but over time it becomes so freeing.
Absolutely right! It takes a lot of effort, but once you are true to yourself, nothing else matters.
Less stress by being authentic is quite an interesting benefit you have highlighted. It makes so much sense!
Absolutely, like I always tell my boys, don’t lie; tell the truth. It takes much effort to remember the lies and be consistent! So, stress less and tell the truth.
I’m quite unpopular because of my authenticity. Not that I care. At the end of the day, I want to be at peace with myself. That’s what is most important to me.
And nothing else should matter other than what rocks your boat, Janaki! Be unpopular, but be authentic to yourself! Always.
It’s interesting how our themes for bot A and B coincided.
Authenticity is something that has fled today’s human world. Masks have become natural. Your post is so very relevant.
Let’s see how many more will be similar 🙂 Thank you for stopping by.
Being authentic is one of the most difficult and yet, one of the most important things to do in life. Sadly, we realise it quite late
I know! But what matters is that you realise it 🙂
This commercial world makes us forget that true happiness lies in being authentic. A lovely post.