7 Signs You Are Living Your Authentic Life
Hello Health and Lifestyle VIPs,
It’s Dr. Bernadette, your friendly informative family medicine doctor, supporting you to be a champion of your own health, healing and happiness and to transition to your passion and purpose. You hear the terms all the time “be you,” “beYOUtiful,” “the real you,” “be an original,” “your true self”and the list goes on. They are often included in your favorite hashtags, quotes and social media posts. But, what does it really mean to be the unadulterated unedited version of you?
“Authentic Living” describes a higher state of existence marked by a deep connection with your inner self. With all the buzz about authentic living, it can be regarded as simultaneously desirable and unattainable. How do you live authentically in a world that capitalizes on you desiring to be anyone but you? Moreover, with everyone sharing their two cents about your true self, how do you even recognize if you are living your authentic life?
Let me start by identifying what “authentic living” is not. It does not hold you hostage to what you do not want and keep you wondering about your ability to manifest your dreams. It is not a state of continuous unrest and constantly feeling at odds with yourself. It is not living incapacitated by fear. Authentic living is not merely “doing,” in absence of enthusiasm, because you are good at it––or told you were. Authentic living is not establishing your life based on your families legacy if it does not align with your personal aspirations. The bottomline is authentic living does not mean to forsake yourself!
“Admit it. You aren’t like them. You’re not even close. You may occasionally dress yourself up as one of them, watch the same mindless television shows as they do, maybe even eat the same fast food sometimes. But it seems that the more you try to fit in, the more you feel like an outsider, watching the “normal people” as they go about their automatic existences.”~Timothy Leary
So, what is the real measure of authenticity in your life? You are living your authentic life when…
- you can do it afraid––whatever “it” is.
- you are concerned less about the opinions of others and more about yours.
- you become the author of your own story including defining your success.
- you acknowledge that everything you need to be you is already within you.
- your life is enough––this does not mean you do not have ambitions, but comparisons will be a thing of the past.
- challenges are just pauses––regroup and get back at it.
- you can quickly notice inauthentic living.
When I was not living my authentic life, I felt a persistent internal struggle. The life I really wanted and the life I thought I had to live was always at battle. I was mentally and spiritually exhausted. It took an enormous amount of energy to just get out of bed and put my feet on the floor. It was as if I was unengaged and disconnected to own life. Everything was a task. It was not until I made the conscious decision to live my authentic life that I felt alive again!
Embracing your authentic self releases you from obstacles in your life that keep your stuck. You have the courage to get off the virtual merry-go-round that continuously circles around your ideal life and awaken to discover your boundless possibilities. Research has found “authentic people are happier, more exuberant, more empathetic, and more secure. They have higher self-esteem and are more accepting of their own weaknesses.”
When I discovered what it meant to be authentic, my life changed. I felt like a two-year old discovering a treasure of possibilities. I was unbound, liberated, and attuned to me. I no longer needed a stamp of approval to live because within my purpose, there is already permission. Happiness became tangible. Peace was not extinguished by challenges.
Each time you do not live according to your heart, you are being unfaithful to yourself. When you drift from your true self, you and the universe are deprived of the incredible riches that can only be deposited by you. Authentic living waters the seeds planted within you and allows you to blossom into the unique person that you were born to be––perhaps to have blue hair. “Admit it. You aren’t like them. You’re not even close…”
Thank you for taking time out to read my blog. I hope it not only inspires you, but motivates you to take action in your life. Please share them to encourage others to live their healthiest happiest life. And, check back next Thursday for my newest blog.
In Health, Healing and Happiness,
Dr. Bernadette
Bernadette Anderson, M.D., M.P.H. has devoted the past 20 years to developing, teaching and educating others on the principles of health and lifestyle transformation. Her approach is to provide simple tools to allow people to be champions of their own healing, health and happiness and transition to a life of purpose and passion. These are the same tools that helped her drop over 140 pounds! She is the founder of Faith Family Health, Inc., a speaker, a health expert for media, bestselling and international published author, has appeared on national commercials and featured in highly-recognized online magazines.Visit her at DrBernadetteMD.com.
Tags: authentic you, authenticity, be original, be you, love you, self-love, you