LETTING GO OF WHAT PEOPLE THINK

The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene’ Brown , Ph.D.

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”

Is being authentic with yourself a challenge?

Do you ever find it hard to embrace who you are?

“Authenticity demands Wholehearted living and loving–even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it.”

I started having some serious medical issues in my forties and was later diagnosed with an incurable neurological condition. I was prescribed several different medications and treatments. I began to gain weight, not just a little weight—a lot. Over a year and a half I gained nearly 80 pounds. I felt so ashamed of myself. I would hide in our home and not leave. I didn’t want anyone to see me. I was afraid of what they would think and say. I was still me inside, just struggling with a debilitating disease. I had no reason to feel shame. I realize that now, but only after I committed to Wholehearted Living. I had to choose to be true to myself and to not live in shame or fear.

“Choosing authenticity is not an easy choice. E. E. Cummings wrote, ‘To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody but yourself—means to fight the hardest battle which any being can fight—and never stop fighting.’ ‘Staying real’ is one of the most courageous battles that we will ever fight.”

So what do we need to do to be authentic?

• Don’t sacrifice who you are for the sake of what other people think, it isn’t worth it.
• Have the courage to disagree without being sarcastic.
• Be honest genuinely and politely.
• Don’t just attack and criticize others, have compassion with firm boundaries.
• Remember who you are and what your purpose is!
• Let go of trying to be everything to everyone.