Living An Authentic Life

what does it mean to live authentically?

It has a different meaning for each of us. In fact, most of us have a hard time understanding what it means to live authentically because its meaning is not precise. What it means to one person will differ from what you or I consider it to be. There is a general meaning for authenticity. In this episode, I will share it and five tips for living your truth.

Transcript

Living An Authentic Life

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Hello - Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Evolving Life. 

And thanks so much for the feedback and praise. 

Logistically, it wasn’t the best first episode, but as some of my reviewers shared, they thought it was authentic and I couldn’t ask for a greater opinion of the first episode. 

I am going to work on making each episode better than the last. Starting with better equipment that will make your listening experience great. 

Hopefully, you will notice the difference even in this episode. You certainly won’t hear page turning in the background. Let me know what you think. I would love to know. 

And this is where I ask for your support to help make this podcast a success. 

I’m asking only three things: Keep listening, please subscribe and don’t forget to share by telling others about Evolving Life. With your help and my efforts, I’m convinced this podcast will be a success.

Okay! With The logistics and acknowledgements out of the way, let’s jump right into this episode. 

It’s about living an authentic life.

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First, what does living an authentic life mean? 

Not surprisingly, it has a different meaning for each of us.

In fact, most of us have a hard time understanding what it means to live authentically because its meaning is not precise. 

What I consider living authentically will differ from what you consider it to be. From person to person, the answer will always be different.

So what is the general meaning of what it is to live authentically?

It’s embracing who you really are, and what you truly believe and living in accordance to what feels right for you.

The definition is so simple, but for many of us, it’s hard to adapt for many reasons. Some self-imposed. Others, society imposed, or simply because of the way we were raised. 

Here is the thing, we live in a society that judges according to their personal standards and if you choose to live beyond their understanding of what’s quote, unquote, normal, then you are an enigma, or something is wrong with you, or you need help. It’s a double standard we all must live with because chances are, these same individuals who judge are not looking within to judge or monitor themselves.

Regardless of how others may consider you, living authentically is a standard we should all pursue, regardless of the judgements and lack of empathy. I’m going to share an example and a few tips on living authentically.

As you listen to each episode of Evolving Life, you are going to notice that I like to use life examples to make my point. In this episode, the life example is my sister. As a side note, I have quite a few of them, so I may have many more examples with them in mind. 

This sister has evolved from when I first held her when she was born. Sometimes I reflect on the fact that not only is she an adult and married with a few children, one of which is a teenager, but she has changed so much. Or evolved, as I like to say.

I don’t want to refer to her as this sister, so let’s call her G. I believe G has come into her own sense of self because of many personal life experiences, some that were not so good, that have shaped her. 

When I think of her, when I talk to her, I believe G is the epitome of what it means to live an authentic life.

It’s never easy when society, family, friends, people that have been a part of our lives from an early age, tells us that how we choose to live is not normal, or label us with some form of negative implications that are practically disheartening. 

What’s not normal for these cynics is what they don’t understand, or because they believe they would have chosen differently. What’s really not normal for them but they don’t realize it, is their inability to be open-minded, and an unwillingness to learn and accept.

By the way, if you are thinking about sexuality right now, that my sister may be gay, you would be wrong. But as a side thought, isn’t it thought provoking how easily it is to remove religion and apply another noun and you are addressing the same issue?

I will not go into the specifics of my sister’s life, because she would probably kill me, but, for her, the divergence happened because she chose a religion other than the one she was raised with. 

Thinking about it, she/we weren’t raised with any religion. We attended catholic schools, but our adult influencers, when we were young, attended baptist churches sporadically. So religion wasn’t specifically a factor.

What was a factor for my sister was judgment, fear, and rejection.

Judgement - because of what I’ve already alluded to. A predisposed definition of what is normal.

Fear - because of those who are incapable of opening their minds and experiencing something other than what they know.

And rejection, because what they don’t understand gets cast aside.

What has made my sister a survivor and a person who’ve learned to live the life she embraces and love is the realization of these five tips we should all adapt to live authentically.

Are you ready? Here they are.

1. Stop trying to please everyone

Trying to offer a different version of yourself to please others is exhausting. Being truly authentic is saying, “This is me, whether or not you like it.” 

2. Trusting your intuition

Without a doubt, it’s scary when you choose to live your truth, to blaze your own trail and trust your own instincts. But to do so would mean being happy in your own life. Why would you want anything less?

3. Focus on forming a connection with pears, not impressing them.

It’s simple, really. Life is about laughter, love, happiness, and forming memories with the ones you love and cherish. Not living up to the expectation of those who shouldn’t matter.

4. Be indifferent to the actions of others

You can’t live authentically if you are constantly thinking about and worrying about what others are saying and doing.

• Instead of reacting to what others are saying, act out of your own power.
• Live according to your expectations, not other peoples.
• Be a leader, not a follower.

The bottom line is this. It’s your life. Choose how to live it.

5. Finally, embrace your choices

You will literally drive yourself crazy by adjusting and adapting your life to what others expect and see as lacking or complex in your life.

Ignore them. Embrace your complexity, your reality. It’s what makes you who you are. 

I would love to know how you live authentically, and which of these five tips or any that have led to your authentic life. You can share your

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