Authenticity has been a popular word for a while now, but what does it really mean? When I did a bit of research, I discovered how many blogs, videos and ideas there were about this topic.

To me, authenticity related to: ‘who we’re meant to be’ and ‘being connected to our empowered/true self, rather than playing small.’ I guess you could define it as: ‘showing up and being the person you aspire to be.’

I used to think if I was down or angry – actually if any negative qualities reared their head – I was disconnected from my authentic self. This understanding came from believing ‘showing up authentically’ meant ‘being the best version of me’. If I was being the best version of me, I wouldn’t play small, my fears wouldn’t sabotage my success and I’d feel fully empowered.

There’s one problem with this version; what happens when we’re not feeling connected to our empowered, best version of our self? When instead we feel disempowered, vulnerable, sad or angry?

The dictionary says ‘the quality of being authentic’ actually means to be ‘genuine’.

So if I were feeling angry, rather than labelling this emotion as ‘I’m angry’ or ‘I’m not my true self’, or it’s a ‘negative experience’ to be authentic or genuine, would be to honour myself in the moment. From this space there is no need to change myself, to feel less than or to think I’m not being my true self, because who I am being and how I am feeling in that very moment is who I genuinely am… in that moment anyway.

Now there are some feelings which we don’t want to stay in so moving into a more positive space is a great idea. The key is, if we pretend that we’re happy when we’re not, we are being inauthentic. To be in our sadness and honour the moment is being authentic.

This is very different than the future-based version of authenticity, where we try to be something that, at times, we’re actually not. Authenticity is not always a ‘wonderful, empowered, loved-up’ space and what we resist, persists, so by denying the feelings we’d rather avoid, they continue to show up. As we begin to accept ourselves in each moment, we experience the full array of who we truly are and when we love and accept ourselves, our life becomes far more satisfying.

So what’s your version of authenticity and are you living it? You may like to explore your vision of authenticity this month…

Here are some questions that may prompt your thinking and have you living a truly authentic life.

What does authenticity mean to you?

What does it feel like when you fully tune into your authentic self?

How do you embody it?

Is it something you strive for or is it more about allowing?

Are there times in your life when you feel more authentic than others?

These are simply prompts; journal, meditate or chat with a friend and discover your vision of authenticity.

Tell us what authenticity means to you…

I’m here to help you, create a deeply satisfying life, one that set’s your Soul alight. Want to know more? Take advantage of my free consult. Let’s make 2017 your best year yet x