I recently did a podcast on happiness. Did you know that studies have shown that one way to increase the chances of happiness is to be authentic? To live authentically? Authenticity. The definition is “the quality of being authentic” which I find less than helpful. So I look up the word authentic and there it is…it means genuine. I’ll take that. I think the highest compliment someone could give me is that I am genuine or authentic.
I’ve worked really hard to create a life that allows me to be authentic. I want to be able to be what my inner self truly is. I describe it as feminine, loving, creative, fun, and driven. Trying to coral these into a journey is interesting because sometimes creative and driven want to fight. That is ok though. We have been working through it.
When reassessing my life and how I wanted to spend it, I genuinely had to decide what exactly I enjoy doing. I love people, and I love making things better. I love making people feel beautiful and also I love connection. This has ultimately ended me up where I am now. I am a designer, pod-caster and writer. All three of these are passions that I truly enjoy and don’t feel like work at all. It allows me to do all the things my true self loves: Connecting with others, making people feel beautiful in their surroundings, adding value through creativity and connection.
How about you? Have you thought about what you would do if you could do anything? Maybe you are already doing it and if you are then that is fantastic. Maybe you have a side hustle that you are hoping turns into a full time career.
Right now is the perfect time to be able to really decide if what you are doing is being true to who you are. We are in the age where working from home and the internet allows for so many of us to design a life exactly the way we want it.
Sometimes we are afraid to show who we really are because what if people laugh? What if they make fun of us? Let me start first by saying that if you are past 6th grade and I’m assuming you are because you’re listening to this podcast then you should not be worrying about others laughing at you, in fact I hope you surround yourself with people that support you and encourage you. They may not agree with you but making fun of you is a trick that 6 graders did because they weren’t taught better! Ok off that soapbox…sorry. So how do we show up as our true self? First of all, I believe you need to know your own worth, your own value and what you love doing and who you really are. Really dig deep and come up with who you are truly to your core. Just like I described myself earlier, how would you describe yourself to your core?
Make a list right now of who you feel you are at your core…I describe myself as feminine, loving, creative, fun and driven. Knowing this will help you decide if you’re living in a way that honors who you are.
Living congruently with who you are means your work lines up with the real you. I started my design career with my contractors license building homes with my dad. I found myself having to try to harness subcontractors, and if you have worked in that industry, you know that isn’t easy! Don’t get me wrong, I love them but very often the squeaky wheel gets the grease if you know what I mean. I had to be pretty strong with them to make sure they finished my job before they ran off to start another job for someone that was yelling at them a little louder to get it done, I didn’t like who I had to be to be successful at that, it felt like work dealing with them but it showed me what I did love and that was the design. That is where I thrived. You know how you hear about the journey you’re on or the path that takes you where you need to be? So often what you are doing is the stepping stone to doing the thing you have always dreamed of doing if you are open and don’t get too comfortable!
Living a wildly successful lifestyle doesn’t just mean making a lot of money. It means you are happy, authentic, you wake up excited for the day and you are always growing. More often than not, it takes trial and error too and it is NEVER too late to start! Clarity of who you are comes first so lets start there with the authentic you! I love you all and will talk to you in a few days!
