I am so glad you stopped by. I finally get to start my blog, after four years of waiting. I have decided to make 2017, my year of no more procrastination. My first blog post is actually on authenticity as I have been thinking about how I can be more authentic in my daily living.

Don’t Let Life Stop You Being You.
Now you ask or rather might be thinking, hold on, wait a minute, is this a confession? Have you been living a lie all along?. Well not quite, it is just that I have allowed life’s happenings stop me being me. As I have reacted rather than respond to life, allowing myself to live and cope with life by living in “survival mode”. I have found that I have buried my deepest thoughts, desires, hopes and dreams in order to just make it through the day, the week, the month, the year.

It is not so much a conscious decision but an unconscious coping strategy which I have used to deal with life happenings i.e. unexpected interruptions, responsibilities and disappointments, that just have left me in a place of just living. Just existing (survival mode) rather than thriving, focusing on what I need to do rather than what I would so passionately love to do.

I have personally found the last four years tough, on the surface and to all and sundry it seemed like I was living it all out well and to some extent and through Gods grace I was but I realise that there is a better place to be where I wish to rediscover the true me, that is carefree, fun loving, adventurous, happy go lucky, not taking myself too seriously, speaking my mind even when it hurts or costs me (although I need to add a caveat of speaking the truth in love and at the appropriate time).

Being True To Myself Does Not Mean Giving Everyone A Piece Of My Mind

A little detour here, my friend who is well known for speaking her mind at all times whether solicited or otherwise, got the shock of her life when her husband asked her ; “what makes you think people want to hear a piece of your mind?” Recounting the incident to me she was genuinely surprised but that set her on a path of self awareness, realising that it is not always about being right but much more about caring about people and being sensitive to their needs. Her husband’s response to her at the time was that she had given so many pieces of her mind away and he was now left with the dregs of it? Hmm, hope you had a good chuckle, being authentic is not a reason to go around forcing my views and opinions on others, it is about being me and giving other people the space to be themselves. As John Maxwell says “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care”.

I am going on the quest for authenticity and authentic living so that I can embrace the me that God created, the apple of His eye, loved without measure, and free to love and be loved in return, despite and in spite of the not so nice parts of me that I am working on.

Living my authentic self may lead me on a path I do not know but I am certain that the treasures that I will discover will only enrich and allow me grow me in my life’s journey, so join me in being your authentic self, enough of trying to be someone else, living other people’s dreams, not sharing what you really think when it matters. This might mean me speaking when I am not expected to or being quiet when I am expected to speak, stay in rather than hang out, I am just rediscovering the true me.

I love the way Brene Brown puts it…. “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The chance to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen”.

Being Authentic Is About Being Genuine And Not Being A Copy.
Here are some thoughts on your journey to authenticity:
– Celebrate the things that you do as your authentic you.
– Let go of things that are not helping your authentic you.

Authenticity is about realising that life is not a dress rehearsal, follow your heart, enjoy your work and live for eternity. Join me as we all discover our authentic self.