Authenticity
Steve Jobs said in his famous commencement speech at Stanford University: "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life…..Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary”.
When I look back in time and examine how I have chosen to live my life, I identify with Steve Job’s quote. The happiest, most meaningful and empowering moments I have had throughout my entire life have been the moments when I chose to live my life "from my heart". There were moments where I needed to choose whether to be a follower and to do what was acceptable and expected, or to listen to my heart and to my inner voice.
I chose to listen to my inner voice telling me: "Listen to me, everything will be okay". These have been precious moments when I've felt that everything is possible for me.
I have always known that I wanted to work with people to help them find their authentic voice and to support them in moving from what they would think is impossible to making it possible. My belief is that when we take the time to know ourselves and we practice self-love and self-compassion, we are able to touch the “magic places” inside of us where we can listen to our hearts and intuition and live as our authentic-self.
Practicing authenticity means acknowledging that we are not perfect; that we will make mistakes and be challenged by many circumstances in life. Choosing to live an authentic life means showing up as we truly are and taking the risk to be vulnerable. It means having the courage to stay true to yourself, to what your heart is telling you is right for you, and it means being who you are and not who you think you need to be!
Choosing authenticity is not an easy choice; however, it means living life with passion, purpose, and courage. It means living from a place of strength that will allow you and the people around you to enjoy your best self.There is no doubt that living an authentic life means getting out of your comfort zone; out of that place that you know so well and feel so safe and comfortable. You must trust yourself you have the power and the strength to live your best, authentic life.