Advice I Give Myself

“If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.” -Brene Brown

Errrrr….that sentence terrifies me.

If you have experienced even one of the listed consequences of not living authentically (as predicted by the amazing researcher, Brene Brown) it probably scares you too. Also, if you have never experienced them (anxiety, depression, grief…etc) please call me and tell me all your secrets to life. Thank you.

“Authenticity requires a certain measure of vulnerability, transparency, and integrity” –Janet Louise Stepenson

Being authentic requires a constant checking in with the self. We need to ask ourselves: Why am I pursuing the things I am working towards? Is it for me or someone else? Do I really want this or that or I do I want it because everyone else has it? Am I doing this because it is easy? Am I trying to make it hard for myself? What do I really want? What matters most to me?

Authenticity requires reflection and reevaluation. It requires acceptance. It requires saying Yes! and No! It requires speaking your truth. It requires courage. It means not waiting. Being authentic can mean disappointing others. Many times it requires going against the crowd. It means listening to yourself and following your gut. It means not listening to advice, even good advice (like this). Being authentic means going after dreams, letting go of doubts, and exposure. Being authentic means freedom. If you dare to be authentic, it means you are claiming your freedom to be yourself.

Stop living someone else’s life. You have so much more to offer as yourself.

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” –May Sarton