What is an authentic self?

Today’s topic follows really well on the heels of last week’s blog, which explained the science of intention. Last week I talked about how our lives are a reflection of the vibration we carry through intention, and I challenged you to be the generator of your intention.

The reason that is a challenge is because it is easy to just pass on the intention you are exposed to from others. When people speak these days about “being your authentic self,” it seems to simply be an excuse to be lazy with intention. Unless there’s a lot of training and guidance that comes along with that recommendation, it’s really not what is going to help you achieve what you desire in life.

The definition of authentic is GENUINE – generated from within you, not something passed from others.  Being authentic is to be genuine, sincere, and heartfelt. This is the opposite of just propagating intention from others.

So how do you know if you are “being your authentic self” for real? I have three things that you can check in with to know whether you’ve succumbed to laziness or there really is a genuine YOU coming through.

You know you are being authentic when:

1. You have spent time in self-observation (and still do) and in undoing the layers of conditioning. All of us have had a lot happen in our lives before we were able to understand it.  This generated a lot of preconceived ideas about the world, ourselves, and other people that we are unaware of unless we make a point to look.
2. You have taken time to consciously determine and generate your intention. The opposite is when we blindly pass on the negative energy that comes our way.
3. Your interaction with the world is having an overall positive effect. This does not mean you are making everyone around you happy; it means that you are setting healthy boundaries. Saying no to someone may not make them happy but may be the most positive thing you can do.

I recommend that you ask yourself whether these three things are true. If not, which one you could focus on to bring you the farthest toward being authentic?