Authenticity is everything to me, it’s up there with freedom in terms of my must-haves in life. I wrote this post about freedom of expression and authenticity last year, the morning after I got my beloved dreadlocks.
In my first video a few weeks ago, a lot of people commented that one of the things they related to about me was my authenticity. I don’t know how to be any other way. Anybody who knows me will tell you that what you see is what you get and I certainly do not have a poker face. My husband and I have a saying in our house which is our overarching policy (for want of a better word) and it’s “no bullshit, only love”. I am definitely a no bullshit kinda girl. In my video below I talk a little about the impact that being in situations where I am not honouring my authentic self and/or my heart’s needs has had on my health and happiness in the past.
So what does being authentic look like in my world? Authenticity underlies all of the personal and business decisions I make. If it’s not real or puts me in a position of not being real or true to myself, then it won’t happen. Take the way I write for instance, a lot of people in business might not share some of the personal details I do on their website, and in training courses as I do, including the good, the bad and the ugly, but that is me and I want people to know that I am real. Faults, imperfections, issues and all.
Authenticity also comes into how I present myself in my physical appearance. My inside matches my outside. I am a corporate trainer and coach, I have dreadlocks, tattoos and piercings and a really successful business. When I was setting up my website I made it clear that any images should not be the stock photos of people standing smiling around a desk or me sitting behind a computer, that would so not be a good representation of who I am and what I offer. The same went for my bio pics, they needed to be me, all the way.
I had a really lovely conversation with a potential client today who was looking for some training for her organisation. We had a chat about content and for some reason I mentioned that I was not your typical trainer in how I look, which I had never actually done with a potential client before, and I have no idea why I said it. She went on to say that she had already seen my photo and that was one of the reasons she chose me over some of the other potential trainers. Oh and she called back later and gave me the work – awesome!
So what would I like you to take away from my post today? Always always always always (did I say always enough – ok one more time always) be true to yourself, in EVERYTHING you do. That goes for your work, relationships, friendships, appearance, business, your words, actions and deeds. Before you decide to do something, if you are unsure if it’s right for you, sit for a minute and ask how it feels, check in with yourself however things show up for you. For me it is in my gut, follow that gut instinct, it is there for a reason. Once you are on the path of true authenticity it will come naturally, but we are so used to people pleasing and doing what’s expected and ‘normal’ that sometimes we lose touch with our internal messaging systems. You must honour YOUR self, YOUR needs, YOUR heart and YOUR desires.
Life is short and you need to stand up and be yourself all the way!
If you come from a place of authenticity you will always succeed and I promise you, the universe will reward you. I find the more I honour my authenticity, the more comes my way.
What can you do to let your authentic self blossom today?
