AUTHENTICITY — THE KEY TO PERSONAL STRENGTH
By: Edwarda Hayes
Tags: Personal Strength, Authenticity Meaning, Authenticity Examples, Authenticity, The Key Success

AUTHENTICITY — THE KEY TO PERSONAL STRENGTH

In a world that is strongly shaped by social expectations, conventions, and the media, it is not always easy to make the right decisions for you. Often we are torn between what appears to us to be socially appropriate, what our fellow human beings expect of us, and our inner personal desires. It is important to find an appropriate, healthy balance here. The pressure of expectation is high: starting at school, later in training and professional life, and above all in the social environment and our relationships.

How do I manage to take my personal values ​​and desires into account in my actions? The magic word is authenticity. If we can reconcile our actions, statements, and decisions with our own values, our actions are authentic and our fellow human beings will perceive them as “real”. That will also help our relationships.

Choosing to be honest with yourself takes courage; because that might make us stand out from the crowd and sometimes have to deal with incomprehension or criticism. Many of us therefore often choose the easy path in our daily life and suppress disputes and decisions that challenge us to stand up for our own values ​​and desires and possibly cause incomprehension in others.

I keep observing it: so many of us are actors because they want to please others and don’t have the courage to “stand up” for their wishes. But isn’t it a shame that we have to pretend in a modern world where values ​​such as tolerance, individuality, and self-realization are on everyone’s lips, because we believe that this is the only way to be recognized?

Continuous development and reflection required

Authenticity is a basic requirement for our personal balance and our sense of happiness. Developing them is a process that requires honesty, strength, and self-reflection from us. To get it, we should answer the following:

What makes me special — what are my personal strengths and weaknesses?

Which values ​​are important to me in life, what do I want to stand up for?

How do I appear to other people? Does the feedback from people around me match what I want to express?

The more clearly I know these answers for myself, the more consciously and relaxed I can go through life. Admitting and making people aware of strengths and weaknesses requires courage, but it also leads to personal authenticity. In the course of life, we ​​may be able to answer the above questions a little differently again and again, as we are in a constant learning process, develop our personality and work on our strengths and weaknesses.

The “right” feeling

We all pursue our own happiness. What is the point of pretending to be just to impress and please others? If we cannot look in the mirror in the evening and go to bed feeling uncomfortable, we will not be happy. To stand up for your own values ​​and to say “no” once in a while when we are not expected to do so, may bring us criticism, but also recognition and above all a good feeling.

In a world full of possibilities, ways of life, career and relationship patterns, there is often no “right” or “wrong”. It should be crucial for our actions that they feel right to us personally. This feeling that it “feels right” for me — that creates inner balance and authenticity.

We should always make it clear to ourselves that we are responsible for making our time as positive as possible. As a manager, a former colleague repeated a crucial sentence in front of his team in order to respond to the constant whining of an employee. He held up his wrists and said, “Do you see any shackles here? No! I can go anytime. ”This statement is accurate: It is our own decision where we go and who accompanies us. Does a relationship that has only burdened me for months still have the potential to develop into a state that is enriching for me again? Do I represent my values ​​in this job or do I really want to develop in a different direction, but I lack the courage to do so? These are typical situations

We all expect the highest level of quality in products and services in everyday life. Then this should also be our yardstick for our own life: To optimize our time in such a way that it fulfills us and makes us happy. This requires initiative, courage, and reflection from us. But these efforts are worth it! And who knows beforehand what surprises the next step in life will offer us. In any case, I would like to look back at some point and be able to say: “Yes, I have shaped my life as best I can according to my own values. It may not have always been easy, but by and large, I pursued my goals, have no regrets, and had a happy and exciting time. “

So go through life authentically, courageously pursue your goals and stand up for your values ​​and opinions! On the one hand, you will be respected and on the other — and this is even more important — you are at peace with yourself, have honest relationships, and can go through the day with a good feeling.