What is living your authentic self?  What does this really mean?

Living your authentic self is living your true nature, your inner truth,that truth which resides in your heart and soul.  When you are living your authentic self you are guided every moment by the divine truth within you.

You are not acting and saying based on who you are talking to or what others think you should do or say.  You are not allowing the world around you to dictate what you do and who you are.  Deep within you is the truth of who you are and what you believe and you act on this guidance throughout your day.  You are true to yourself.  This is being authentic.

Here is an article by Carol Adrienne and some good tips on being authentic and how to notice when you aren’t.

Also click here to for 5 steps to living from the inside out Living From The Heart.  A great workbook to start being authentic in all areas of your life

As children we have no trouble being authentic. Remember when you woke up in the summer happy with anticipation for the day? Remember the joy you took in having your friends sleep over? Remember your parents’ mixed reaction when you blurted out some delightful, albeit disconcerting, blunt truth? Growing up, we naturally question authority or the status quo because curiosity and the need to understand how the world works are prime motivations in our developing psyche. At some critical point, however, it is inevitably driven home to us that in order to get along in the world, sometimes we need to withhold our opinions, listen to our elders, deny what we see and hear, lie low or even lie. We begin the process of putting a lot of stuff—beliefs, opinions, self-criticisms, pain, fear, disappointments, humiliations, anger, rage, feelings of distrust and abandonment in a closet—with the idea that maybe it will go away or we’ll sort it out later.

The voice of the authentic self seems to be the same as the intuitive voice, that quiet, but persistent voice that whispers new ideas to us in the middle of the night, on vacation, or after meditating. Intuition speaks in short, clear messages that are qualitatively different from the repetitive mind chatter that makes us feel anxious. Intuition tells us where the authentic choice is—for us.

When we are birthing a more authentic version of ourselves—especially when we are unconsciously growing away from the familiar unspoken contracts and agreements we have with people, we experience some or all of the following feelings, which Rae expressed in our conversation. I asked her to state what she does not want as the first step in identifying what she does want. She said, “I don’t want to be dependent on anyone. I don’t want to feel unsure of myself. I don’t want to be tired all the time. I don’t want to be negative, to always see the down side, or to expect the worst. I don’t want to be a fearful worry wart. I don’t want to be a people-pleaser. I don’t want to feel that I am not being authentic.”

In a recent article in Noetic Sciences Review (March-May 2003), Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, says, “More and more, you realize that you are not your thoughts, because they come and go. They’re all conditioned; they’re all just the contents of your mind. Instead of deriving a sense of self from those contents, you realize that you can simply observe the contents. A deeper sense of self arises then. That is the aware presence, and it feels very spacious and peaceful, no matter what happens in your mind.”

Below is a list of some of feelings that comprise a syndrome of inauthenticity—which occurs when our inner needs, values, and self-image don’t match our outer expression, behaviors, and accomplishments—and some major characteristics of an authentic person.

• MEDITATE. Practice clearing the mind regularly. Observe passing thoughts as if they were clouds.
• SPECIFY THE FEAR. When you feel fear about some new action or decision, write down exactly what you are afraid might happen. Get very clear about the shape of the fear and what you are actually dealing with.
• FIND THE ROOT. Ask yourself, Whose voice is talking to me? Who is making me afraid? Is it my voice? My parents? The voice of mass media?
• MANAGE AROUND THE FEAR. Write down specific things you could do to work around the fear so that you can take a small step in spite of it.
• DROP SELF-DOUBT. The best way to feel good about yourself is to complete something that you have been putting off, or to set one small goal and achieve it. Nothing begins to erase self-doubt more easily than a little string of successes.
• LOOK FOR A THIRD SOLUTION. Whenever you are agonizing over two choices, remember that this polarization serves a purpose—to keep you from taking any step. When lost in black and white thinking, look for a third option.
• APPRECIATE YOUR UNIQUENESS. Everyone has a special knack, talents, and skills. Everyone.
• STOP STRUGGLING. There is a time for perseverance and a time to let go.
• ENJOY THE MOMENT. Take delights in small pleasures and beauty. Be with people you love and enjoy.
• TAKE TIME. Slow down. Avoid the tendency to fill up the space.
• STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Nothing drains energy more than suppressing action, passion, and commitment.
• SIMPLIFY. Troubles arise when we set ourselves up to do too many things or to manage too much stuff. Being authentic is being able to say yes when you mean it and no when you need to.
• SPEND MORE TIME IN NATURE. The beauty, quiet, and harmony of nature helps you observe your thoughts as separate from who you are. Natural surroundings help put options into perspective. Peaceful sounds of birds, flowing water, wind, and waves lull the mental chatter and clear the mind. To quote Eckhart Tolle, “When your sense of self is no longer tied to thought, is no longer conceptual, there is a depth of feeling of sensing, of compassion, of loving that was not there when you were trapped in mental concepts. You are that depth.”

You need not make huge changes in your life to experience being more alert and present. Acting on any one of the choices above can immediately change how you experience your life.

© Copyright 2003 Carol Adrienne, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.