What does it mean to be authentic? Being authentic means you are coming from a real place within. Your inner self that holds self-awareness as a high priority. What do you want to do with your life? What are your personal beliefs and values?

Life is really a process of defining who you truly are with the flexibility of changing a few things along the way. After all, being open-minded allows you to extend and expand on what you know or have experienced thus far, as long as your personal values have not been violated! An authentic person’s behavior can be quite predictable because it rarely deviates from their true nature.

Realize that your own personal values and thoughts may not agree with others. Know that imposing your ideas on others may not be received well and you can still stay connected without terminating the relationship. You can agree to disagree! It is important to note that relationship interactions give you an opportunity to express who you are and how you want to expand and grow! By observing how you respond, you get an inside look at who you truly are concerning the particular issue and if you need to make an adjustment! Remember, passing judgement on others is rarely productive. I really think of it as a block to true understanding of the situation you’re dealing with! What are your intentions? What were their intentions from a broader perspective? However, we agree that phoniness is a human characteristic that we don’t want to be associated with!

Being authentic, very honestly, means “walking the talk” and not just “talking the talk”! We are all responsible for our behavior as well as our thoughts! Not allowing the opinions and desires of others to control your life’s path. Not giving up oneself for the approval of others. Being able to express your true feelings and say “no” when you truly want to…..are all examples of living authentically. Extending kindness is a big part of being authentic because it acts as a wonderful example to others and opens many doors to new opportunities.

Being a trustworthy and honest person who is true to themselves is what we are all striving for in our efforts to be authentic. We are sovereign beings here to create our own experience of life and to be happy with who we are!