How to live an authentic life

An authentic person knows who they are and what’s important to them. They accept, embrace, and love all parts of themselves, trusting and following their intuition to lead them to a life that is aligned with who they are. Often, we are so busy doing and achieving that we lose sight of our authentic selves, which is why the quest to live authentically is a process that develops over time. 

Many of us speak about what is important to us and the principles we hold, but when it comes down to it, we struggle with having the courage to practice authenticity and live in alignment with what matters. One of the best ways to nurture and grow your relationship with your authentic self is to get curious.

Explore your values

If you feel that you are lacking authenticity, it might be that you are not living out your values in your life. 

Values are the qualities that are at the core of your being. The qualities without which, you wouldn’t be you. Values are important because they help anchor you in who you are. They are your guiding light, the pillars that make you your authentic self. In times of adversity, your values help you find your footing and keep you grounded. Knowing your values and spotting how they are present, or absent, in your life, are great clues to unlocking more authenticity.

Embrace your strengths

One of my clients, Aneet was great at making sure that the team delivered their projects on time. He didn’t enjoy this part of his job, but he did it and did it well because no one else on the team took responsibility for this task. His team thought that project management was a strength of Aneet’s but in reality, it made him feel drained. He did it out of obligation, not passion. 

Marcus Buckingham, the founder of the Strengths Revolution describes a strength as, “not what you are good at, and a weakness is not what you are bad at. A strength is an activity that strengthens you. It draws you in, it makes time fly by while you’re doing it, and it makes you feel strong.” 

Our strengths are one of the most energising ways we can tap into our authentic selves. Everyone has strengths, which are simply activities, tasks, and situations that energise you.

Your strengths are unique and diverse. They are not your ability to do something, they are your appetite to do something.

Strengths are things that you want to do and whilst you are doing them, you enter a state of flow and lose all concept of time. Getting clear on what your strengths are, and how you can start sharing them with your world supports you in living a life grounded in authenticity. 

You might notice as you start to get curious and embark on this journey of self-discovery that your inner critics become louder. Part of living authentically is to not let the stories they tell you get in the way of what you truly want. 

It takes true courage to be who you truly are. To walk the walk and talk the talk. That’s why it’s rare. When life gets hard, remember that your authenticity is your greatest source of power.