In the age of technology, social media and iPhones, authenticity matters. Why? Because it is possible to be anything. You may see this as a good thing, saying
“Wow, I get to define myself as I choose to! I can be whomever I want in the eyes of others!”
YOLO! Am I right?
Wrong. Stop right there girl, you don’t want to be anything except who you really are.
10 Reasons Authenticity is Good for You
1. You get to be you, and no one else can ever be the same.
It’s the new Taylor Swift song playing in the background…
I’m the only one of ME, baby that’s the fun of ME!
She passively promotes authenticity by inspiring others to see how wonderful their innate uniqueness is!
2. It will boost your social media status if you are true to who you are!
No one likes a fake person. Someone who only cares about how they look to others is not doing anyone any favours!
The good news is there is always opportunity to become more authentic, and lean into your authentic self.
3. Finding your authentic self is kind of like finding your Higher-self at the same time!
There is a concept in New Age spirituality of the Higher Self. This concept comes from the Chakras and relates back to your third eye Chakra, which is the sixth Chakra in your energy field.
The Chakra colour is Dark Blue and the stones associated with the third eye include:
Flourite, Garnet, Green Calcite, Lapis Lazuli, Lepidolite, Moonstone, Sodalite, Unakite
I also read that Sapphire and other Purple, Blue, or Red stones can open the Third Eye Chakra, and allow you to access your Higher Self.
4. It’s not easy to be Authentic, but it is easier than being Fake…
This point comes from moral philosophy. The argument is simple;
He cannot understand that Truth – no matter how painful- is always, by its very nature, “good” and that a lie- regardless of how much we are in love with it- is always, by its nature, “bad”.
Truth is good. Lying is bad.
5. Authenticity leads
What qualities do all leaders share? I believe being an excellent leader requires you to know yourself, and therefore you must have the ability to be authentic before leadership can be mastered as a skill.
Authenticity is something you practice doing and at its core may be hard to learn.
The best leader knows what habits they need to practice in order to be a good leader and this fuels their practice of authenticity.
6. Authenticity opens the door to healing
Though healing is not all sunshine and rainbows, the process can be hard to go through. Getting yourself out of negative habits, and away from toxic people is exceptionally difficult when you are not being authentic with yourself.
Here I use authenticity as a characteristic of myself, and I do this because the way I see SELF is multidimensional.
Because of these dimensions, if my authentic dimension is not fully functional, I cannot heal fully. Mainly because of that part of myself that I have not acknowledged yet.
So my authentic self is a necessary part of my healing self, you follow?
This is where my philosophical side is really helpful, or really confusing! (As is most philosophy)
7. Your future self will thank you.
This one rings true for me. I first learned about authenticity as a philosophical concept while taking a course on Teacher Identity.
At that point in my life, anything to do with Identity called to me. That was three whole years ago. As of September, in my second year of my Masters in Social Justice Education program.
The future self is a concept similar to the authentic self, and higher self. Mainly because you are looking for the person you want to become, rather than looking back at the person you were.
The past will hold you back, that’s why it’s called past tense. Having the courage to think about the future, and build your future self also opens you up to the universe and the possibilities of your own dreams.
8. Authentic motivation
What better way to motivate yourself than by being your authentic self! Motivation is not easy to get, or to keep! Authenticity can lead to more authentic motivation, and this will lead to more authenticity. Once that correlation is formed, motivation is not far away.
Planning, and understanding what goals to set for the future you want are critical to keeping motivation high.
This includes professional, and personal development!
9. Once authentic, always authentic
Personally, I tend to be optimistic and idealistic. I’d like to think that once you acknowledge your authentic self, it is easier to stay in acknowledgement of that authentic self.
A good book to read for more on this is Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. He talks a lot about letting go of Ego and how the current human condition is to let the Ego lead in everyday life.
Dr. Wayne Dyer calls the Ego;
“the removal of God from your life, and therefore the removal of your true spirit.”
10. Authenticity is love
Yup. I see authenticity as love. Loving yourself is easier when you’re authentic. Loving others is easier when you are authentic in relationships. Things will flow much more naturally when you are authentic.
Thank you, Universe, for guiding me to perceive this fear through the teacher of love.
This is just one of the many mantras from Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back. This book is incredible for helping to open the door of healing through authenticity and love.
There is no need to believe in God while reading this book which makes it more accessible to readers. In my opinion though, God and Universe are synonymous, more on that later!
Thanks for reading!
I hope that these reasons open your mind and change your perspective on authenticity. I also know that one of these ten things will speak to you, and call you to finding your authentic self!
Blessings! With love and light, stay true, stay authentic, stay weird, but most of all, BE YOU!
Kristi.
You are absolutely right! Authenticity is key to a well-lived life. Great article Kristi 😘