Steve Maraboli said, “There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves. Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.” I love that quote because we often forget to take off the mask – the public persona for fear of not being accepted or loved.
But do you want to be loved for being a poser OR, for being the real authentic YOU?
When we talk about being AUTHENTIC, most people think that means being the exact same all the time.
Being authentic means showing up to each situation as the best version of yourself remembering that we are multidimensional beings and there are many layers to all this dopeness called YOU, ME, US.
It’s not about switching up and pretending to be someone else to appease a situation or a person and that is where some people get confused.
For example, you may have different sets of friends and certain friends may bring out different aspects of your personality, but all those parts are still authentically YOU though.
I know in my own life, that’s the case. I have different types of friends — those that I can joke around with and that makes our friendship amazing; those that I can have deep spiritual conversations with and that also makes our friendship amazing; those that are reserved and very observant, who then share their observations when you least expect it and that makes those friendships amazing; those that are all those things combined, and then they are those that I know I can simply cry with and share insight on my growth, and so on. Bottom line is – ALL those friendships are authentic because I show up and AM authentic. That’s what makes it even more amazing because with each interaction, being authentic is still always a priority for all of us.
Though you might be spiritual for example, you might also have a humorous side that dominates depending on the situation you’re in. It doesn’t mean you are “no longer spiritual” when you’re clowning around. It just means you OWN all the different parts of who you are.
The fact that it takes way too much energy to pretend and be a poser … that is the lesson.
Besides, you can’t keep up the façade for too long without someone noticing the inconsistency. You’ll get called out. So, learn to be authentically, imperfectly, extraordinarily YOU no matter what. And, stop apologizing for being so damn dope. If you’ve got to ‘change’ for anyone to like you or accept you, those aren’t people you need to be around consistently. Instead, you should focus on consistently being YOU always in ALL ways.
Remember these 2 tips:
- Be Deliberate. Don’t change to please others. Make conscious choices to remain in a space of feeling like yourself and not just “accommodating” simply to make someone like you.
- Be aware of who and what you present to others…make sure it feels good to YOU. Commit to doing your very best in any given situation. Honor and trust your intuition, it’s your internal security system. Speak your truth always.