Don’t quit on you my friend.
I know life struggles, believe me, but I am an old soul, and somewhere deep inside of me I know that being authentic to yourself is one of the most important things that we can do on this planet earth.
Who better to represent your uniqueness than you?
I also realize that the quest to know oneself, or rather to remember who we truly are, may be a life long process as well. Because, life changes us and we change according to life and it’s demands. Somewhere along the learning curve however, we get to understand ourselves at a deeper level; what we stand for, what we care for, what we love, for example. This may change as well, but there is an authentic part of you that no one else can match, because every single person on this earth is simply, different.
Authenticity is so important in our culture because we are conditioned from an early age, that is, we are taught about ourselves from an outsider’s perspective, rather than understand ourselves from the inside. And that begins from the day you are born, starting with how your parents raised you. As you continue life, your experiences and lessons shape you too. This is how one becomes who they are, at least on the outside.
But, somewhere along this path we come to points in our lives where we start to examine our lives; is this really me? What do I stand for? What is important to me? Who am I?
These questions are absolute essentials to growth as human beings, and as souls for the spiritually inclined. This is how we learn about ourselves, our authentic selves. And our authenticity is the true gift to the world. If we but achieve nothing material and learn about ourselves, stay strong in our convictions and represent who we really are, we have done our job as human beings.
This in my view, is the true mark of success.
For what is it that we really search for underneath all the possessions and acclamation? There is something within that nourishes us when it feels right to our heart and soul, whatever we receive from this world. And this gift is not to be dismissed, out authenticity in this world is of the highest caliber, something that our daily planners should include time for; the quest to understand and represent ourselves to the fullest.
Believe me when I say that, whatever we seek in this world is a quest to understand ourselves fully. Underneath, we all seek to be our authentic selves, even applause for diligent effort is nurturing our inner self; therefore we feel right and proud about it, or not.
We should take note of these too, as they are markers, guides to who we really are.
Therefore, I urge you to answer the most fundamental question that a human being can strive for: Who really are you?
Here are few quotes about authenticity (from https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/authenticity) :
“When people ask me who I’d want to have dinner with, dead or alive, I always say, ‘John Lennon.’ I just feel that he was an artist who was, in his own way, committed to wholeness and authenticity in a not dissimilar way that I am years later.”– Alanis Morissette
“Yes, in all my research, the greatest leaders looked inward and were able to tell a good story with authenticity and passion.”– Deepak Chopra
“Truth is a point of view, but authenticity can’t be faked.”- Peter Guber (an American business executive, entrepreneur, educator and author. He is Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainmen.)
“I believe that my work has been well-received because it is authentic. All people really want are authenticity and truth.”- Gabrielle Bernstein ( The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back, and has written five additional bestsellers.)
“Authenticity is everything! You have to wake up every day and look in the mirror, and you want to be proud of the person who’s looking back at you. And you can only do that if you’re being honest with yourself and being a person of high character. You have an opportunity every single day to write that story of your life.”- Aaron Rodgers ( an American football quarterbackfor the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).
“I try to make music with emotion and integrity. And authenticity. You can feel when something’s authentic, and you can feel when it’s not: you know when someone’s trying to make the club record, or trying to make the girl record, or trying to make the thug record. It’s none of that. It’s just my emotions.”- Jay Z.