As you go through life, you may feel pulled in many different directions. Your job and societal obligations may require that you look and behave in ways that are far from how you really feel inside. This can leave the real you, the authentic you who desperately wants to be recognized for who you are, feeling forgotten and diminished. While there will always be some shifts in your personality based on your environment, you should never feel like you are losing yourself in order to please others or fit into their vision of who you should be.
Signs You Are Not Living an Authentic Life
If you feel exhausted and sad, it could be due to living an inauthentic life. Take a close look at your everyday routines and activities. How many of these are you doing because you want to, and how many are you doing because you feel like you should? How often are you letting your own personal beliefs dictate your thoughts and actions and how often are you letting others’ beliefs influence you?
If you constantly feel like you are biting your tongue so you don’t express your true feelings, you are likely living an inauthentic life. If you feel that your tank is empty at the end of the day and yet you accomplished little to nothing that was on your personal to-do list, it’s a good sign that you are not living for you.
How to Regain Your Authenticity
Living inauthentically hurts everyone in your life, including your family, friends, and—of course—yourself. When you hide your true feelings or constantly put yourself at the bottom of your list of priorities, you are denying your loved ones and the world the beautiful gift of your authentic self. It’s easy to become bitter and angry when you lose your authenticity and it’s also much more difficult to understand and fulfill your goals and dreams.
The first thing you need to do in this situation is take time to reflect. If you’ve been putting yourself last for any amount of time, you’ve likely lost much of your sense of self. You may not even know what makes you happy or what you want to do with your time. By taking time to know yourself again, you’ll find you start setting better boundaries, which will keep you from doing things that feel out of alignment with who you are and what you want for your life. While you don’t need to say no to every request or argue every time you feel your opinions aren’t being considered, you do need to start making strides toward voicing and acting on your authenticity. Though those closest to you may be confused or upset at first, they will eventually come around and recognize how much they benefit from your being happy and having stepped into your authentic power.
When you are living an authentic life, you are fulfilled and joyful and those around you benefit from the light of who you truly are. If you feel you’ve lost your authenticity, reconnect with yourself today and start back on the path to your true destiny.