{"id":7595,"date":"2019-06-20T12:39:01","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T03:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/findingyourease.com\/?p=7595"},"modified":"2022-12-18T19:04:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-18T15:04:07","slug":"authentic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/findingyourease.com\/authentic\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not always easy to be authentic, or?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot is being said about how we should be authentic, true to ourselves. But there are times I struggle with it all, how about you?<\/p>\n

When I look at myself, I changed a lot over the years. And there are certain life happenings that have heavily influenced my overall approach on life and how I look at things. And yes I have lost – and found – myself a few times along the way, too. Right now I have found myself but it took me a while to get there and who knows what lies ahead. I might lose myself again? But that doesn’t make me less authentic, or?!<\/p>\n

What does it even mean \u201cto be authentic\u201d? And surely life circumstances have an impact on our authenticity too? It can change, no? Just think about major life events like having children, deaths of closed ones, job loss, betrayal, moves, illnesses?<\/p>\n

I like this definition I read on PsychCentral: \u201c Being authentic means coming from a real place within. It is when our actions and words are congruent with our beliefs and values. It is being ourselves, not an imitation of what we think we should be or have been told we should be.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

I personally don\u2019t think that everybody needs to know me 100% – as long as I stay true to myself that is. I still stay authentic on the inside, to my beliefs, but I sometimes do present myself differently.  <\/span>I\u2019m not showing myself off in a false way, I don\u2019t fake it but \u2026 I\u2019m still different.<\/p>\n

I know that there are moments when I’m holding back. Or situations when I’m more \u201cout there\u201d than it\u2019s usual for my nature. I\u2019m aware that I do behave differently depending on the situation, the setting and the crowd I find myself in – and my own mood. But we all take on different \u201croles\u201d depending on the situation, and are still being authentic, no? Especially when we are aware of this shift within us? <\/span><\/p>\n

I at times admire very outgoing personalities. They seem to appear so effortlessly open and so comfortable in their own skin. But I wonder if they are really like that, or just “acting” differently?<\/p>\n

Either way, in those moments I sometimes want to be more like that too, but deep within it\u2019s just not me. And man, those moments are so exhausting – an introvert going extrovert! Most poignant are these moments after a move I find. When everything and everybody is new. I check the waters, see how and where I fit in, try to find my way and my people, put myself out there more than I usually would – and ultimately lose myself a bit here and there.<\/p>\n