We all want to be loved. In these days of self-help books, life coaches, and personal development, it’s tempting to think that the only way to be loved is to change ourselves.
We apologize for being who we are. We beat ourselves up when we make mistakes. We feel like we’re selfish when we have needs of our own, so we don’t give them priority. We dwell on our flaws instead of our strengths and make choices that say we don’t respect ourselves.
These are very human beliefs and actions. To rise above them, we must go beyond the human—to the superhuman. How? By learning to be ourselves.
Superhuman people choose to respond to motives that come from within. They do their best to conquer self-doubt. They act independently and make choices in line with their inner thoughts, beliefs, and values. They resist destructive external pressures. The result is confidence, fulfillment, and serenity.
The Benefits of Becoming Your Authentic Self
The biggest benefit of becoming your authentic self? More happiness.
Being truthful to yourself and others, growing your awareness, making better decisions, and increasing your sense of purpose are others. Satisfying your needs and doing things on your terms help you to focus on your goals and dreams and prioritize how you live.
Freeing Your Authentic Self
How do you find your authentic self? First, you must separate your authentic self from the identity you have in your day-to-day life.
You are somebody’s son or daughter. You’re a student at such-and-such a school or an employee at such-and-such a company. You play tennis, or scrabble; you do yoga or play football. You have these or those opinions about religion or politics. You hang with this or that crowd. But this every-day you isn’t the real you.
Each of us has our own way of being human.
To become your authentic self, you must become self-aware. You must be honest with yourself, look at your history, and separate the things you feel personally from the things ingrained in you by your childhood.
Steps Toward Your Authentic Self
The first step in finding your authentic self is reflection. Think or journal about your upbringing. How have you handled new situations? What experiences took you out of your comfort zone? When were you forced to think about your values? What feedback have you gotten from friends, co-workers, teachers, family? What can you learn from your failures?
Next, learn to think critically. What inconsistencies do you see between what you expected and what happened? Does that feeling that you should be married and settled before your 30th birthday come from your inner conviction or family expectations? Is that accounting career what you want or what you’re expected to do?
After that, revisit your goals. Consider not only who you are (your authentic self) but who you want to become. Are your current goals the same as the ones you had five years ago?
Finally, write your personal manifesto. Dig deep. Write out your beliefs and your intentions. What are your ethics? Describe your personality. What do you think is important? Writing or typing these thoughts can help you shape them.
Living and Acting from Your Authentic Self
Acting from your authentic self means being honest and truthful in sharing your thoughts and ideas, even if they seem weird. Opening up to others encourages them to do the same. Everybody ends up learning in the process.
Have you ever noticed some people act one way with some people and very differently with others? Does it seem like they are being their authentic self? Try to be the same person in every environment instead of conforming to fit what you think others want from you.
Once you have a grasp on your authentic self, you still need to make your way in the world. It may be that means navigating a corporate job. Being ourselves does not mean expressing ourselves without filters. You can speak up and say what you mean and remember who your audience is. You can be selective in the parts of the authentic self that you share.
The Superhuman Power of Your Authentic Self
Summoning the power of your authentic self means finding that self and learning to live from it. The unique combination of all your skills, abilities, experiences, memories, beliefs, interests, talents, and values is who you are. Tapping into the resources of your authentic self will show you how to be superhuman. What are ways you want to live more authentically?
We can lose our authentic self – lose our super human self by believing what others have told us about who we are. If you’d like help being the best version of yourself, call for a free phone consultation.