“Whatever we have thought, said or done since the day we were born: Our face, body, and personality have been shaped accordingly.“ – Shundo Aoyama

Authenticity is all the rage. Day in and day out, we’re being told how important it is to be “authentic“. How important it is to stand out from the crowd. How important it is to make sure we don’t become interchangeable.

None of that is fake news! The thing is: Whenever we feel the desperate need to be “authentic“, we’ve already lost that battle. After all, real authenticity comes from within. Without having to sweat over it. Reflecting what you think, feel, and experience every day. In different stages of your life.

When shit hits the fan, we all know what it’s like to feel disconnected from ourselves and from the world out there.

The good news is: You can come back to center and refocus on yourself anytime. Revamping your authenticity and shining in a whole new light!

1. Be relentlessly honest with yourself.

Whom do you see when you look into the mirror in the mornings? Is this the person you want to be glancing at? Or is the person appearing in the mirror someone completely different from the person you want to be?

If this is exactly the person you want to be seeing, I’m happy for you! If not, you may want to ask yourself: What could this be all about? Who is this person staring back at me? And, first and foremost: How can I develop into the person I want to be seeing in the mirror every morning?

2. Gain clarity on your values.

I know, I know: Everyone’s constantly talking about “values“. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile to think this through! After all, when we fail to use our values as a GPS for our lives, we often end up lacking commitment and orientation. That doesn’t make us feel good – nor does it let others comprehend who we really are.

Ask yourself: What core values are REALLY important to me? What are the guiding lights on my very own human journey? How do I seek to live and what do I want to be revealing to the outside world?

3. Be yourself!

If you dare to take a really close look, you may find that way too often, you’ve been pretending to be someone you weren’t – just for the sake of fitting in.

And I’m sure you know what it’s like to “check your Instagram for two minutes“ and bump into all sorts of comparisons you didn’t see coming. Why am I not as rich, beautiful, and successful as … you name them?

As trite as this may sound: Be yourself! Pure. Real. Authentic.

Yes, authenticity does come at a price. You become visible – and therefore vulnerable. But isn’t the price of going through life as someone you never meant to be significantly higher?

That doesn’t mean you need to have formed a bulletproof opinion on any given issue. Nonetheless, it can pay off to reflect on the following:

Am I advocating for whatever I believe to be important with absolute conviction?

Is whatever I’m communicating to the outside world the essence of what I believe to be true?

Am I standing for exactly the things I want to be standing for?

If you end up nodding your head at all of these questions, you’re clearly getting closer to becoming the most authentic version of yourself. Enabling you to stand in front of your bathroom mirror at the end of a long day, going: “Hell yeah, this is me!“

If this isn’t the place you’re currently in, let me assure you: I’m here for you!

Learn more now on how I can support you to uncover the best version of yourself:

Yes, I want to uncover my true self!

Yours truly,