The Power of Authenticity

by Barbara Rose, PhD -

How "powerful" are you? 

Do you ever cover up how you genuinely feel? Do you ever say what you think you "should," say, based on how you want others to perceive you? Do you ever think you "should" be a certain way? Why?

I’ll share with you why I did in the past. I "thought" I "should" be a certain way, say certain things, act in the manner that I "thought" would bring me either the results I was attached to or the acceptance of those I wanted.

How powerful was I? About as powerful as a spineless wimp.

When my behavior was incongruent with how I sincerely felt, all I did was give away my power. 

I then felt less powerful than before. If my energy went into trying to live up to a fictitious image I "thought" I "should" be, then what I was doing in actuality was depleting myself of my genuine, authentic power.

There is nothing more powerful than BEING who you really are. 

Being strong enough to say what you really think, show how you really feel and act the way you really feel like behaving is called congruency. This takes guts. It requires self-respect.

When you are aligned with yourself, THEN you are authentically powerful. 

Whose acceptance are you trying to get? Stop. Get your own. Whose approval are you trying to win?

You only need self-approval. Who implanted the false image in your head you think you are supposed to live up to in order to be enough?

Look at the image in the mirror. 

You ARE enough, NOW. If you feel something, say it. You may say something as gently or as graciously as you would like, but make sure that it is said.

If you sincerely want to do something, turn off your head, and DO what YOU WANT to do, without worrying about imagined future results.

If you keep whatever bothers you all bottled up, you will wind up unnecessarily exploding on others. Share your feelings honestly. You see, once you begin to be authentic, you begin to feel the REAL you.

Once you begin to feel the real you, you will never go back to feeling powerless. The only way to feel true authentic power is to be true, authentic and congruent. Simply be the real you. Then all feelings of powerlessness diminish.

You will worry far less. You will be more centered. You will feel more in control, because you will not be divided between who you think you should be and who you really are.

Be who you really are. 

Then and only then, will you realize how dynamic your life will become.

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