Authenticity

Authenticity, what does that even mean?

We are often told to be our authentic self, but when we twist and contort ourselves to fit into the world do we even know who we are at the core?

I thought this (Above pic) was the perfect graphic for this post as it has a huge list of potential possibilities.

• ​completely enough
• being here now
• my heart's desire
• not an object
• inherently valuable
• and so many more

Maybe these speak to you and maybe you have others for yourself.

To me, being authentic is stepping into our own happiness, having self value and presenting our happiest self to the world and not giving a sh*t if others don't like it.

Maybe it's taking a course you always wanted but were afraid others would think it was ridiculous. Or quitting your job and following your passion.  It's about following your own rules and being OK with that.

It can be a really hard thing to do as we are so conditioned in our society to be, do, behave, like the "norm", which in our society is extremely unhealthy. We are taught as women that we need to be super women. We need to get married, have our 2.1 kids (or is it 1.6 now?), have a job, keep a clean house, raise our kids a certain way, we need to do it all.  And, if we take time for ourselves we are selfish and yet we get the mixed message of needing to look after ourselves. What?!?!? 

So, how do you step off that hamster wheel when you have kids, and you have responsibilities? Or maybe it's just so ingrained in you that you don't have a clue how to change.

The answer is... slowly, one step at a time.
Or you can have a complete breakdown and be hospitalized and then choose yourself. That was my route, and I do NOT recommend it.

So, what is one step you can take this week to move towards your authentic self?
Decide what you don't like about your life right now. Don't worry about how to change it, or other people seeing you are unhappy, or making a mistake. 

Take out a piece of paper and in PEN, write down everything that is not working for you right now.
Maybe it's the dog bowl is in your path and you trip over it, maybe you hate your job, maybe your car keeps breaking down, maybe it's the brand of coffee you use because your partner prefers it. 

It doesn't matter what it is, just make a list of all things that are not working for you. Big and Small.

The reason we make this list is not to complain about things, but we need to be aware before we can make change.

Now, beside each item on your list, I want you to write one small thing you can do to make change.

• "I keep tripping over the dog bowl and it spills" - I will fill the bowl half full, or I will move the bowl to a place that works better for me, or even I will look at other types of bowls that may work there that I won't trip over.  You could even decide that when you trip over it you will stop being angry and do some deep breathing.
• "I hate my job" - I will see what online sites there are to find jobs ( you don't even have to search for the jobs, maybe just see where ads are).
• "I hate my car, it keeps breaking down" - I will check the value of my car, I will mention to people I know that my car is a concern for me (this may open up doors you don't even know about), I will look at transit routes to my work so I may not need to drive all the time. Keep it simple and fitting for you.
• "I really dislike the coffee we drink at home" - I will investigate other coffees, I will look into what kind of pots are out there, or I will look at decreasing my coffee consumption. I will say this was actually one we had at home, we were making two kinds. I used the pot to make mine as I drank more and my partner made hers by the cup. We have now found a coffee that we both like and so we now share the pot.

So, this week start with a list and a micro action, small action you can take to make change.

Baby steps, the healthiest way to make change towards moving into your authentic self.

You could also join our 6 week course where we will work on different steps to make change. 

Have an Amazingly Creative Day,
Larissa

Please remember you can always send me an email or leave a comment if you have questions.
L