Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Choosing Authenticity

I choose authenticity.

Authenticity is rooted in the value of integrity and the commitment 'to thine own self be true.'  
Being authentic requires honesty, openness, a willingness to learn and teach, 
and a welcoming attitude to new ideas and experiences.

You can't be authentic and try to be something that you're not; 
yet authenticity pushes us to be courageous and try new things.

It does not hide behind safe walls of identity or knowledge 
but embraces vulnerability and humility with grace and strength.



Brene Brown has written about this in her book The Gifts of Imperfection and on her blog, provides the image above and the badge I have on my site (on the right frame) and with it calls us to a 'whole-hearted' movement where she declares:

Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.
Over the past year, we've built an authenticity movement on the blog and I wanted to create a space to honor our work.  We need the momentum and energy of a movement. We need to be surrounded by other authenticity activists who are willing to be imperfect and real. We need to build a community of people who can straddle the truth that we are both afraid and brave (often at the same time).

Choosing authenticity is an act of resistance.

Choosing to live and love with our WholeHearts is an act of defiance.

You’re going to confuse, piss-off, and terrify lots of people – including yourself.  One minute you'll pray that the transformation ends, and the next minute you’ll pray that it never ends. 

I've made the commitment.  Have you?

What are some obstacles that stop us from choosing to be authentic?  What's scary about it?  What keeps us committed to it?

2 comments:

  1. I think it is scary because we have failed so many times in the past and are still not sure that we really can do it. We don't want to "say it out loud" because if we talk it we will be expected to walk it. Blogging has helped me stick to it because I don't feel so alone. I don't feel judged. I don't feel like I'm less than others. I wrote about it today over at my place.

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  2. Great post. I'll dare to be scared. I prefer to live as authentically as I possibly can. Your post reminds me of our high school motto - Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful. To thine ownself be true. Beautiful.

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