When I was out on my walk yesterday, I was pondering authenticity…
If there’s one thing I’ve found over time, it’s that all these lovely sounding words can (and do) mean very different things to each us. That said, pause and ask yourself what being authentic means to you…
According to a definition I found on Google, “Being authentic means that you act in ways that show your true self and how you feel. Rather than showing people only a particular side of yourself, you express your whole self genuinely.”
If there’s another thing I continue to find, it’s that most of us haven’t learned how to embody what these powerful words mean. We are so much better at intellectualizing them, which doesn’t really do a whole lot of good.
Now, take another moment and check in to see how much you embody the being of authenticity. (It’s okay if you have a gap in between where you are and where you’d like to be. Most of us do.)
Something that came up in my coaching and leadership training that was new for me in the conversation of authenticity is that if our fear is running the show, we are not being our authentic self. Our authentic self could also be called our essence, our truth, our highest self, our divine intelligence, etc.
When our fear and our stress is at the forefront and it is running the show — speaking for us, thinking for us, acting for us — it’s super important to remember that is not who we are. It’s easy to collapse who we are with our limiting beliefs, our circumstances, what has happened, what hasn’t happened, but none of that stuff is truly who we are.
When I show up as my authentic self, people get to be with my love, radiance, compassion, passion, and power.
When I show up in my fear, my overwhelm, my anxiety, people are robbed of that other piece of me. So, I choose to take on the work of transformation to keep shedding those layers and showing up more authentically because I deserve it and so do the people I share my time with.
When your fear and survival instincts are masquerading as you, what’s the impact?Begin to imagine the difference in how you can show up…
What’s possible when you are able to get distance from those parts? Talk them back into the background? Reparent them?
Whatever possibility you see for yourself in this moment is 100% available to you if you choose it! It always starts with a choice.
What do you choose?
Who or what do you get to bring on the journey with you to ensure this happens?
What do you get to put down in order to allow more of YOU to emerge?
All that I offer to you is always in service of bringing you back to your authentic self and providing opportunities to keep practicing that. Practice is the name of the game with all of this stuff!
When I was writing last week’s newsletter and sharing about how our fall retreat has been postponed to October 2021, the idea for a mini mountain retreat began percolating! It will be capped off at 10 souls, so you can get a feel for what next year‘s retreat will be like. This will be offered on Saturday, October 24th from 10 am – noon EST, so save the date if you could use some “slowing down to speed up mountain energy” condensed into a 2 hour window of life!
If you’re interested in being in community and receiving a little more support than that mini retreat will offer, I’m feeling called to offer a fall group experience. The summer one went so well, we extended it another 2 months!
I’d like to start the group next week on the 24th right after fall begins and end it on December 17th (near when fall is ending). This will look like 7 ninety minute sessions for 4 people. We will use Voxer as a way to stay connected in between our time together. Currently, I’m looking at Thursdays at 11:15 am EST, but am waiting to see how that works for the interested peeps. If you’re interested in exploring this possibility, just reply to this article, and we’ll see if it’s for you!
