Why I Choose Authenticity Over People Pleasing
By: Colleen Mitchell
Tags: Authenticity, Faith, Vulnerability, Religion, Self

What I Realized

A few weeks ago I was listening to episode 76 of the Do It Scared with Ruth Soukup podcast. It’s the inaugural “Get Ruthed” episode where she coaches one of her student's live for her listeners.

Maybe I just needed to hear it from someone I respect and think of as a mentor (instead of me just telling myself)… But that episode finally made me realize what I’ve been hiding for too long.

My top Fear Archetype is “People Pleaser.” This was of a surprise when I took Ruth’s Fear Assessment, but the longer I thought about it the more it made sense. I don’t like rocking the boat. The thought of someone I respect disliking or disapproving of me because of something I believe feels like a punch in the gut.

So far I’ve tried to stay away from polarizing opinions on faith and politics, but I have strong opinions on both that drive a lot of what I do. Those opinions impact how I give advice and they color the lens of my worldview.

I know some of you will stop reading what I write, and that’s okay. I can’t please everyone, and I’m finally starting to accept that. Honestly, I won’t like how it feels at first, but if I treat it the same way I treat troll reviews and flames on Fanfiction, I think I’ll be okay.

My Faith is Important

I’m a Christian. People use it as a “catch-all” for a lot of church denominations, like Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, etcetera.

I grew up in the Lutheran Church and still attend one today.

My faith has come out in little ways. I’m mentioning God more often. My mom gave me one of her study Bibles, and I read it every day. I read the entire thing in 2019, and am doing it again in 2020.

What’s more interesting to me is how much my faith has grown over the last year spending time every day in Scripture. I’ve become more patient. I’m less likely to get upset over stupid things. This is the root of my desire for true authenticity.

One great resource I found this year is The Bible Project. Based in Portland, they create videos “to help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.” Their videos summarize the books of the Bible, talk about Biblical themes, word studies, and more. They also have a podcast where they have deeper discussions into the content of those videos.

My Political Opinion Reflects My Values

I’ve mentioned it in my first childfree post: I’m conservative. This is important because my values, beliefs, and moral compass all rest on my faith — which values the same things conservatism does.

Probably the only “liberal” belief I hold is that drug companies shouldn’t price-gouge their diabetic customers on the price of insulin, but that’s another story.

Anyway, here’s the shortlist of political things that I find important:

Pro-life values

2nd Amendment Rights

Respect for the entire Bill of Rights

Small government

Low taxes

Freedom from tyranny

My political opinions most closely mirror those of Texas Congressional Representative Dan Crenshaw, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, YouTuber Sydney Watson, and comedian/commentator Steven Crowder.

I do not discuss politics in the workplace. I don’t think it’s appropriate and it’s more likely to cause divisions and hostility than bring people together.

Please don’t assume that I don’t think opposite sides of the aisle can be friends. I have liberal friends and coworkers. I don’t agree with their opinions, but that doesn’t make me think less of them. They’re people. They matter. We all matter.