The authenticity movement is a powerful force that is changing the way people live their lives. In today’s personal growth guide, you’ll discover 3 simple ways to accept and embrace your authentic self, learn how it can help you lead a happier and more fulfilling life, and even help you discover your path of higher purpose. You’ll learn why authenticity matters, how to overcome the fear of what other people think, and some practical tips for living authentically in today’s society.

My personal journey of expressing my authentic self

For a long time, I tried to fit into the mold of what I thought other people expected of me. I grew up in a conservative, preppy environment, attended a private Catholic school, and always felt like I was “different” than everyone around me. So, for many years, I did my best to just blend in and be like everyone else. But, I felt inauthentic and uncomfortable, and I didn’t feel like I was expressing my true, authentic self.

I kept limiting myself (and wouldn’t share my truths) because I was afraid that other people would judge me or dislike me. For example, I believe in astrology and have been studying it since I was 18. But I was so scared to tell people about this quirky hobby of mine (for fear of what they thought), that I’d keep it to myself unless they brought it up. Even lately, I’ve been challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone by delving into and sharing deeper, mind-expanding topics. I was so scared to open up that I preferred to only blog about surface topics for a long time. But things are changing! I’m pushing myself to express my truth, blog about more interesting subjects, and share more of who I truly am with you.

Over the past several years, I’ve started breaking through these limiting beliefs by encouraging myself to just be me, quirks and all. And, what I’ve learned is that people ended up liking and admiring me even more, as I was inspiring them to be exactly who they were too. They felt more comfortable in my company because they knew I was just being myself and wasn’t wearing a mask in front of them. I also stopped “people-pleasing”, which was a habit I picked up in my childhood, to make other people happy. Instead of trying to be anything for anyone, I’ve decided to just be myself – imperfections, quirks, idiosyncrasies, and all. As a result, I’m happier, more self-confident, and enjoying my life more.

So, to inspire you to embrace and accept your authentic self, here are 3 tips to empower you.

3 Ways To Embrace Your Authentic Self

1. Connect with your inner child
2. Stop caring about other people’s opinions
3. Embrace your uniqueness

Connect with your inner child

To start with, we all have an “inner child”, which is essentially a core part of our subconscious mind. It is often repressed as people grow into adulthood, which is exactly why it’s important to reconnect with and understand that part of yourself.

From traumatic experiences (such as heartbreaks, abandonment issues, family problems, or other challenging life-changing moments) to the things that bring you the most joy (like being creative, spending time outdoors, doing activities you like), your inner child is often the part of yourself that is impacted most by these things.

To help you discover who you are on a true, authentic level, think back about your childhood and adolescence.

1. What difficult experiences did you undergo that you might need to heal from?
2. Who do you have to forgive?
3. What type of shame or guilt do you need to release?

The more you can heal your inner child of repressed or numbed feelings, the lighter and more joyful you’ll feel.

In addition to healing inner child pain, it’s also important to regularly connect with the lighter side of your inner child – the one that loves to play and have fun! Spend time asking yourself: what would make me happy today? Listen to its prompts! Does it want to go on a walk or watch a funny movie? Do whatever activity sounds fun. This will help you reconnect with your inner child in a positive manner, and will bring light and brevity into your life. This is so important, as adulting can be quite draining, especially when we feel like we have so many responsibilities to deal with.

Stop caring about other people’s opinions

I’m going to be quite blunt right now – stop giving a f*ck about other people’s opinions about who you are. Seriously! Their opinions are truly none of your business, even if they decide to tell you what they think. And, quite frankly, most of their opinions are limiting.

If I allowed myself to be what other people told me I should be, I wouldn’t have experienced most of the amazing dreams I’ve manifested thus far in my life. And the irony is, even one of the “mean girls” who bullied me in childhood is now following me, has become kind to me, and has told me she admires me. So, it proves the point that we can’t allow outside influences to sway us negatively, as their opinions will (most likely) change once we commit to becoming our true authentic selves. Let yourself be the badass babe that you’re meant to be, regardless of what others say.

Oftentimes people are projecting their own insecurities and judgments onto others, mostly as an unconscious response mechanism, and usually as a way to avoid dealing with their true internal issues. What they are judging in you is often something they are judging within themself, much like looking into a mirror. That’s why allowing their negative opinions to shape and affect you is like letting a middle school bully tell you that you aren’t good enough. Find your inner strength, recognize your inherent worth, and create a boundary with these types of people.

And when you really start to worry about other people’s opinions, I encourage you to ask yourself one key question: What do I think about them? When you really give it some thought, more often than not, you’ll probably realize that you aren’t that impressed with or inspired by them. And so, bottom line – why should their opinions matter if you don’t hold them in the highest regard anyhow? Enough said.

Embrace your uniqueness

I love the quote, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” It’s so true! If the world’s a stage, then every person is an actor in the play. And, we don’t need redundant characters. What fun would that be? Instead of trying to fit in, mold yourself into something you’re not, or just strive to be “normal” – be exactly who you want to be.

When you learn to embrace what makes you unique and special, you end up attracting more people into your life who enjoy and appreciate you for exactly who you are. It’s based on the law of polarity, which means – you attract those who truly like you and you repel those who don’t resonate with you. And that’s a good thing!

If you want more enjoyable, quality relationships with people whose company you truly like, embrace your uniqueness. You’ll end up connecting with people on deeper levels who actually like, accept, and embrace the true, authentic you.

With that said, I hope this inspires you to find the courage within to be yourself. The more that you can stay true to your authentic core, the happier you’ll feel and the more fulfilling of a life you’ll end up leading.