By about now, just about everybody and their uncle have been told that to be authentic is to be empowered and happy. It’s somewhat annoying to think that we have to be told that. For heavens sakes, that’s us. Or is it really? Perhaps the catch lies in not knowing how or what it means to be authentic. So, let’s step into authenticity with a bold flourish and wave in a magical, authentic in the moment of now.
“Living authentically, master, will always bring you joy.” ~ Julius
- Discovery of self
A somewhat strange thing to say but it gets clearer when we realize that there is an altered ego personality (fear-based) and there is our soul 
personality (love-based) that is usually buried under the formidable display of the former. What’s even more interesting is that the altered ego personality is what we accept to be true of ourselves based on others’ perceptions/judgments of us when we were growing up. ‘This one’s lazy, non-communicative just like her mother, the black sheep of the family – we always have one in every generation.’ And then we wrap these perceptions of self in some heavy-duty sealant within us so that this perception of self sticks.
“Your power is in your authenticity, not your falsified persona.” ~ Julius
What’s important here is to verify if what you have always believed of yourself is true or has it only got compounded by the fact that your inner judgment has drawn in the same judgment from others through mirror consciousness. You might discover that you’re not really lazy or you’ve outgrown a certain behaviour that was so not you, but you didn’t realize that till you thought about it just now. The other way is to ask your closest friends or relatives how they perceive you and your qualities. You might get a pleasant surprise.
2. Non-judgment of self
One of the best ways to greatly lessen the influence of the altered ego is to not judge its aspects. You might have a nasty temper which you’re trying to tone down, but if you judge it, it stays in place because judgment is the glue that keeps it there. If you were to say –
‘Ok, I went down that road again but I’m not going to judge having done that. I’m going to persist in choosing a more harmonious response till it happens.’ Because it will. This also takes care of the compounding of judgment through mirror consciousness.
3. Listen to your emotions.
“Your emotions are your compass. That’s what your emotions are. That’s your soul. Your soul is going to tell you every single time that you are in alignment and that you are out of alignment.” ~ Julius
If we don’t listen to our emotions, we lose the most important key to authenticity. One way to start discovering our soul personality is to check
inward from time to time – ‘Is this something I enjoy doing?’ ‘Am I comfortable doing or saying this?’ This is what will get you back into alignment with your soul personality.
4. Please yourself.
In your moments of unadulterated joy or laughter, you are being authentic.
We sometimes don’t go after what we want, we let others take the lead. In a room full of people holding a very fear-based discussion, we add our two cents because we want to fit in or just appear clued in, but we wish this topic would just take a nosedive and end. We forgo dessert because everyone else is watching their weight but that divine chocolate cake is so totally the flavour of our moment. Speaking our truth when it’s important to us and honoring ourselves is all a part of being authentic.
5. Visualize and experience being authentic.
How would you like to be? Chances are high that you will be drawn to the qualities of your soul personality. Spend some time, even just a little time, every day or week visualizing yourself going about your day as who you really are. Feel the emotions that authenticity gives you – you are self-assured, happy, peaceful, relaxed, comfortable in your own skin and most of all, self-empowered. When you add your emotions to the visualization, it becomes an experience within your being and then you experience it as you go about your day.
The state of authenticity not only brings your joy, it increases your creative flow and expedites manifestation. It may not always be what others want you to be but the rewards are too high to give up on it. Be love, be light, be true to yourself!
