A couple years ago I introduced what I call a new bill of rights for people who are still hiding their authenticity. Whether that’s because they’re not yet sure or because they’re not yet comfortable with showing the world their awesomeness, many are still in hiding. In this article, we’ll focus on the right to be yourself.
The (Secretly) Authentic Person’s New Bill of Rights
- You have the right to be seen. You are a gift to this world and we will no longer tolerate you hiding from us. We need you.
- You have the right to be heard. Your idea or opinion is just as valid as the next person’s. You may just have the idea that will solve the problem at hand.
- You have the right to express yourself in your own way. Whether that means how you dress, speak, act, wear your hair, sing (even off key), dance (even like Carlton), or whatever it may be.
- You have the right to be accepted as you are. You are beautiful and you can no longer hide it.
- You have the right and the strength to make your own choices. You are the only person who can live your life.
- You have the right and the ability to ignore the fallout from other people when you begin to show your authenticity. Some people won’t know what to make of it. That’s theirs to deal with.
- You have the right and the resilience to reinvent your life to what you want it to be. No one else gets to choose that for you.
- As you make changes in your life, you may lose people who have been acting as your friends. You have the right and the capacity to let go and understand they were only meant to be in your life for a limited period of time to reflect to you who you want to be.
- You have the right to be your authentic self. Come on out! We’re waiting to meet you.
You have the right to be your authentic self.
What a concept! Humanity is waking up to being more authentic. We still have a long way to go but we’re seeing it more and more. While our politicians are still operating from a fear-based platform, the majority of the world’s citizens are rejecting the old war-mongering attitudes. Despite what the media wants to show us, people are talking to each other, considering other points of view and collaborating rather than causing conflict.
Social media, for all its faults, has been instrumental in bringing the citizens of different countries together. Through sites like Facebook we’ve been able to connect one on one with people our governments have tried to keep apart. We’ve learned that, aside from various cultural differences, we all want the same thing. We want to live in love and peace.
The Surprisingly Powerful Element
So what is this element that we all have that can lead us to our true authentic lives? If you’re a living breathing sentient being, you have a heart. The animal kingdom had it figured out long ago. They are who they are. They live from their hearts and instincts. As humans, we’re just beginning to do the same.
The old ways of conflict, competition and starting a war on everything from poverty to drugs to terrorism are coming to an end. It may not look that way when you turn on the news but it is actually happening. We’re beginning to wake up to living from our hearts through collaboration and cooperation.
The heart is much more powerful than we give it credit for. Science has proven that the heart provides more information to the brain than the brain does to the heart. It has also proven that we have the ability to affect the energy field around us by living through our heart.
How does that relate to living authentically? When you focus in to your heart center and you feel appreciation for yourself and your gifts, you can then expand that energy outward. When you appreciate yourself more, you feel more confident and you present more authentically. That, in turn, inspires those around you to be more positive and creates a ripple effect.
Your Authentic Challenge:
Develop a habit of starting and ending each day by focusing in to your heart center. Feel appreciation for yourself and all you’ve accomplished in life so far. Easier said than done? Maybe. But here are a few pointers to get you going.
- Acknowledge yourself. Make a list of as many things as possible that you can acknowledge about yourself. These will be things like “I am a kind and loving person.”, “I love spending time with my children.”, “I have pretty eyes.” This may feel uncomfortable in the beginning but do it anyway. No entry is foolish or too small. You are an awesome person and you deserve to give yourself credit for all of your goodness. Read your list and add to it daily. Allow it to grow and take stock of all you do for yourself and others.
- Plan desired changes. List and track whatever changes you’d like to make in your life. Maybe you want to set stronger boundaries or walk for 15 minutes every day. Vow to yourself that you will be kind when you don’t do something on your list and congratulate yourself every time you do. You can add the congratulations to your Acknowledgements list. If something no longer resonates, feel free to eliminate it without scolding. Honor yourself by sticking to your wants and needs.
- Express gratitude at the end of each day for all the good things you have in your life. Even if you’ve just had the worst day of your life, find something in it to feel grateful for. Write it down and make that your focus. Feel how good gratitude feels. Whenever you need encouragement, read your list from start to finish.
Resource
This sounds like a lot of work but do a little each day. You will be building a resource that will first, show you who you really are and what’s important to you and second, will be there to help you through the rough times. We all have them and it’s nice to have something written with love that can remind us of how great we are and how life has a lot of good in it.