How to Live Authentically: The Art of Being Yourself

‍

 “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be, and instead embrace who we are” ~Brene Brown

‍

The first question that came to my mind initially after reading this quote was “Why is letting go of who we think we should be a daily practice? Who would’ve thought that being yourself wasn’t or isn’t something that just comes naturally because we’re all confident and know WHO we are off the rip right?!?! I think that most of us can identify with the feelings of being conditioned. Take your childhood for instance, would you agree that certain experiences that you encountered growing up shaped certain behaviors that you now possess in adulthood? As we journey through this place called life we have to learn to let go of certain things. Take me for instance,it wasn’t until three years ago that I truly stopped letting the constant concerns of other people and their opinions of me eat away at my mind like a maggot on doo-doo. Don’t get me wrong, it still bothers me as I am still a human being with emotions however, it doesn’t fester for nearly as long as it once did.

‍

There’s this saying: “What you eat, don’t make me ish”(you know what ish is too lol) what that basically means is Focus on Yourself! Comparisons are inevitable. We compare and contrast literally everything. And in today’s social media age, where people are constantly sharing all of their triumphs, accomplishments, and possessions it’s nearly impossible to not compare yourself to everyone around you. Sometimes, comparing ourselves to other people make us view ourselves as less than. We create these superficial ideologies in our heads. We measure our success based upon the success of others, and sometimes we put timestamp restrictions on when we should be married, graduate from college, buy homes, have kids, etc. We more times than NEVER find ourselves in better positions because we spend entirely too much time thinking about who other people believe we should be instead of who God called us to be. I like to think this mindset begins in our teenage years and pours over into adulthood. We let other people define success for us by immersing ourselves in other people’s lives, we lose ourselves and we try to hide behind our differences.

‍

Competing with yourself, instead of“competing” with other people, is a much healthier way to measure your success. As you decide to live more authentically and explore the art of being yourself,you get to define your own success, instead of allowing other people to do it for you. Through my own personal journey, I have compiled a list of (5) ways that you can start your journey of becoming and loving yourself authentically.

‍

                                                                                                     5 Ways to Live Authentically & Be Yourself:

‍

1) Self-Exploration

Adulthood, parenting,marriage, really life in general tends to constantly remind of us about the things that we don’t have. Instead of focusing on what you believe that you lack, try writing down the things that you have in your life that bring you joy. Instead of questioning “How’d you get to said place” try asking yourself “Why am I here.” Your why is so much better to pursuit then the how. We already are aware that there is a problem so instead of focusing on that part lets focus on fixing that problem. The art of reconciliation at its finest. (I take the same approach in my marriage btw).

‍

2) Prayer

It may sound cliché but listen,prayer does wonders. I know how I felt when postpartum depression snuck up on me. It threw me totally off course, and my prayer life became pretty much non-existent. I was a wreck! Start off by dedicating 5-10 minutes a day alone and in a quiet place. For us moms, that majority of the time requires us to wake up earlier. Take it one step at a time. Wake up 30 minutes earlier then the family, then 45- minutes, than an hour, before you know it you’ll be up cooking full course meals, you’ll have clothes ironed, and be ready to start your day before anyone has the chance to flush the toilet in the morning (when you get there let me know b/c I’m still working on it) Tip: You can’t give anyone something that you don’t possess and if you don’t have peace no one else around you will have it with either.

‍

3) Journal

I have a fiftyhundredleven notebooks and journals. Each book has its own purpose. I write scriptures from church services and lessons in one, I write out my goals and ideas in one, I doodle concepts in some. They all serve their purpose. If you’re new to journaling a great place to start would be to ask yourself some questions. Questions help us to determine our whys and our how’s. For example, where do I see myself in 5 years? What are my short term goals? What brings me joy? What would I do for free because I love doing it that much? There’s nothing wrong with baby steps, just take them!

‍

4) Stop Overthinking

(Note to Self) This is a constant reminder to myself as well. At times it may be just that you find yourself in a situation where you think that the people around you are thinking less of or looking down on you. Just something to think about: YOU are only “thinking” that way. Often, the real situation is that everybody is preoccupied with their own thoughts and troubles and they really do not care. Even if they were thinking about you, there are very low chances they are thinking the thoughts you are thinking on their behalf.

‍

5) Know what you want and be Content

When you know what YOU want, you will tend to care less about what other people think of you. You will be to consumed with creating an environment for yourself that allows you to thrive and immersing yourself in things that get you closer to what you want, where you want to go, and who you’re SUPPOSED to be.

Reminder: You are created unique! You are more than enough! And being you is so much easier to be than a carbon copy of someone else.

XoXo,

Angie

‍