11 Comments
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Heal with Hanna's avatar

Enjoyed this read!

Authenticity is a core value in my life, especially as someone who grew up in groups where conforming was encouraged. Thank you for writing this!

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Natasha Scullane's avatar

Hi Hanna! Ah happy it resonated with you! We can do things our way! 😊✨

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Judy Murdoch's avatar

I've learned over the course of my life that NOT being authentic always gets me in trouble. Inevitably after pretending to go along, I say or do something that reveals how I truly feel and a lot of people end up with hurt feelings.

I will say, too, that while being authentic is easier in the long run, I have quite a few shadow gremlins who are constantly getting triggered when I am my messy, awkward authentic self. So I still have to deal with all the scary "they won't like you!" "Now you've done it!" stories those shadow gremlins are screaming at me.

I wish, I wish, I wish more people would be their authentic selves especially in written work. I meet people on Zoom and quite often I'll think "wow, so and so is such a delightful, interesting human being, if only more of "them" would show up in their writing."

So often we write in anticipation of how our audience will respond rather than writing from our "real" voice.

My random responses to your prompt.

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Natasha Scullane's avatar

You're so right Judy. It's not necessarily that you decide to be authentic and then everything is easy. It's often shedding lots of conditioning, and our own internal parts who make themselves known. We're often protected from the inside!

This is where values can hold up a light and guide us. Even when something feels uncomfortable we can feel assured there are good intentions behind the decision to do x y z and that can really help us.

Thanks for your comment Judy!

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Judy Murdoch's avatar

You're welcome Natasha. And yes to your comment about values. Authenticity is something I value in myself and in others. The discomfort of being out of integrity when I'm not being authentic is much greater than the discomfort that comes up as a result of being authentic. Certainly being true to my values is something I'm always glad I did in the longer run.

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Natasha Scullane's avatar

This is great for people to read if they're considering embracing authenticity! ✨ Thank you for sharing 😊

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Gail Doggett's avatar

Authenticity is kind of loaded for me: having masked for so long it's a lot of work to peel back the layers to discover for myself who I really am. It's going to take a while...

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Natasha Scullane's avatar

Thank you for sharing Gail. Identifying your values can be a great way to start when the time feels right ❤️

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Maria Hohenauer's avatar

I agree with you. Being authentic pays off long term, but can be not very enjoyable on a daily basis.

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Gill Gibson's avatar

Having just decided to be my authentic self I have lost my home and partner. Because I was running limiting beliefs on top. Now they are removed, the short term pain will lead to the long-term goal of truly being the unlimited authentic self I now believe in.

Very liberating and empowering. Thanks for reminding me that I'm going in the right direction.

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Natasha Scullane's avatar

Thank you for sharing Gill. It sounds like you have been very courageous and you will reap the rewards of this in time ✨✨✨

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