One of the greatest pleasures in being a coach is in encouraging my
clients to embrace their authenticity. Often they are afraid to
really let their light shine and for the world to see them as they
truly are.
In withholding ourselves, two things happen: One, life feels
restricted. It takes a lot of energy to hold back who you really
are and to be who you think you should be; and, two, more
importantly, in not revealing your authentic self, you rob the rest
of the world of seeing, knowing, and loving the real you.
It takes courage to let your light shine. And it takes a certain
amount of faith to know that it’s okay to do so. Many of us have
worked hard to be who we thought we should be. We’ve taken
direction from our parents, our peers, our spouses, our employers,
and many others who had an agenda in telling us who they wanted us
to be.
Freedom comes when we realize that the only person we need to
really answer to is us and to God. In letting go of outside
influences, we start to see light shining through the cracks. We
start to see (and feel) glimpses of who we really are. And with a
little encouragement, we can start to fully share the essence of
who we are with others. Best of all, we find that others respond
wonderfully to our authenticity which in turn encourages us to
continue our quest for wholeness and living from our hearts.
The other benefit is that by revealing ourselves to others, they
are inspired (often subconsciously) to do the same. Not that you’re
ever responsible for another’s journey, but it’s nice to know that
the work you are doing on yourself benefits not only you, but
perhaps the entire planet . . . not a bad reward for just a bit of
effort.
Have an Authentic and blessed week,
