Live an Authentic Life

In the last Morph Mindset series post, we talked about how loving yourself is the only resolution worth having. Today, I want to touch on something that really hits home with me.

I want to talk about living an authentic life. What does it mean? And how do we do it?

The two concepts go hand in hand. In order to love yourself, you have to give yourself permission to live the most authentic version of YOU. In other words, live authentically. 

Living authentically is when your heart, mind, spirit, words, and actions are all in alignment. 

Mind you, when they are in alignment - you may notice fewer people in your circle. It almost always requires you to shed a few layers of people in your life.  At the start it can be a lonely process. Reason being is because many people might not accept or understand you in this new version of happiness. People naturally want others to conform to their idea of a “proper lifestyle” - but what’s important is what makes YOU happy. Perhaps It seems a bit polarizing of me, but I’m not here to win over tons of friends. I’m looking to live an authentic life that rings true to my spirit. True friends will follow. 

So now that we’ve prepared ourselves... you might ask, “What are signs that I’m on my way to living authentically?” The answer is, you start by caring less about what others think. 

There’s a ton of freedom in that! Think about it. Social media is a constructed way that we can repetitively check if people like what we're doing, what we look like, and so forth. It’s no new news that this can be an unhealthy trap. By living more authentically, you'll slowly let go of the desire to care about people's approval. And therefore, you’ll start to attract the kind of people that align with you. You’ll find your tribe. 

So what does being authentic look like? Real authenticity is having thoughts like…

“I care more about me than what other people think of me.” And you’ll start doing things that make people think “I’m not too sure about them.” People doubting you is just a litmus test to how authentic you are. 

The more authentic, the less approval you will most likely get. And that’s OK! You no longer need it.

Being authentic will also look like taking big chances and possibly even looking foolish. It can mean quitting that high paying corporate job that drains you and taking a risk to start your own company. I left corporate to start a greeting card company and boy did I have some doubters. I didn't know how to do graphic design, but I did it anyway. Then I started Morph. I had never sewn before, but I did it anyway. Listening to your gut and doing things that tug on your spirit, that's how you start. Listen to it - then reduce the distance between fear and action.

Lastly, living authentically can look like saying and doing things that strike your spirit. When you live authentically, you give permission for others to do the same. I’ve watched friends pick up guitars when they don’t know how to play and being fearless in the face of failure. It’s inspiring to see. 

So I urge you to start taking chances that to others might seem crazy, because you’ll be crazy not to take them.  Start listening to your heart tugs and make a choice daily to listen. You might be a single mother, a divorcee, unemployed, or even a recovering addict… So what? That’s your story, and there should never be shame in any of it.

People are more than just their story. Accepting every part of yourself will ultimately bring you to live like your most authentic self.

Moral of the story?

Stop limiting yourself and stop trying to please others; just do you. Nobody does it better.

XO, Cristy