I fear being seen. I barely feel comfortable telling my mum about my feelings, let alone anyone else. And the thought of "it’s not okay to just be me" haunts me. I would be too embarrassed to show people my flaws, my imperfections or tell them about my past mistakes. What if they judged me for who I am?
However, in the recent past, when I stumbled upon an Instagram personality and her posts, I discovered the value of self-acceptance. Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) is beautiful inside out. She urges women to explore happiness outside of their appearances. It's so inspiring, plus, I love her British accent, haha. :p
Self-acceptance and authenticity go hand in hand. Self-acceptance helps us come across as candid and trustworthy. Whereas the wish to bury our true feelings, intentions, and desires drains us from our aura.
Let's look at why we should accept ourselves for our authenticity to shine, and also look at 3 powerful ways to embrace our authentic selves.
What is self-acceptance?
Self-acceptance is wholly and unconditionally loving ourselves for who we are.
Self-acceptance pushes us to show up more authentically without the fear of being criticized. Meaning, it makes us carefree and full of life. It helps us seek our core soul's desires and act on them. In simple words, self-acceptance is about living life like the Disney character, Elsa, from Frozen!
Elsa takes a step towards self-acceptance and embraces her feelings and powers. She accepts the fullness of who she is and transforms her fear of hurting people with her ice powers into freedom. She even uses her ice powers to improve the lives of others.
It's beautiful how a children's movie can open us to the journey of self-acceptance and love.
Of course, I won't move on without mentioning Olaf, a quirky snowman who loves warm hugs, summers, and all things hot. He's Elsa's most wholesome creation and proof that we can create magic when we accept ourselves.
3 Powerful Ways To Embrace Your Authentic Self
Choose to be real and celebrate uniqueness!
Society has conditioned us to be "likable" rather than our typical selves.
We sometimes act differently to fit in, to please others, living their dreams at the cost of our own!
However, each of us bear a unique persona. Our experiences are exclusive to us. Recall the last time you went to a movie with your friends. While some of you might have liked the movie, others might have not appreciated it as much. When a movie can offer varied experiences, I'm sure life too can offer completely novel experiences to each of us!
Differences are beautiful. <3
When we focus on our originality and celebrate the wonderful person we are, we express authenticity. It is an incredible feeling to know there is literally no one like us! Don't compromise your identity for others. Be yourself, the right people will love you!
Speak your truth!
Speak your truth to let others know how you feel. It's not okay to hide your true feelings under pleasant words.
Growing up, I always struggled to voice my emotions. I felt the need to say nice things all the time to please people around me. Also, I never felt okay saying no to anyone or anything. People recognized me as the "polite, sweet girl". I enjoyed it. I felt good about being liked.
However, in college, I figured out I was being nice at the expense of my happiness. Once, when I, along with my friends, asked another friend to join us for a night out, she declined our offer. Her response startled me. I could never reject my friends' offers of anything. But she seemed so sure and pleased with her decision.
Eventually, I realized that my "no" won't harm anyone. Rather, it'll help me gain control over my life and free me from the need to please others.
These days, a yes from me is a yes, while a no is a no. Life seems to have become easier. :)
Find your life purpose
Everybody has a calling in life. Let's recall the time when Mother Teresa described her "call within a call". She considered it a divine inspiration to devote herself to caring for the sick and poor.
My calling is writing. I enjoy writing so much that it led me to leave my IT job to build a career in content writing.
When I uncovered my purpose in life, I knew what exactly I had to do to get closer to my goal. Other people's sneers no longer bothered me. Obstacles and failures didn't daunt me.
Identifying my purpose has opened me up to living authentically. I'm carefree and intent, responsible and reckless, all at the same time. I am becoming the best version of myself. :)
Authenticity is reminding ourselves who we are at the core. Of course, the journey to embracing our authentic selves might not happen overnight. But let's start by taking baby steps. I'm sure we can get there.
I'll take leave with this beautiful quote-
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Feel free to reach out to me for a chat on life and don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.