Authenticity is something so natural yet so difficult. On the surface it should be easy to be natural and spontaneous, to be yourself. However, most people struggle with being authentic.
There are primarily three reasons for this:
• You have been conditioned since childhood—by parents, teachers and peers—so you have learned to comply instead of being yourself.
• You are fearful—you feel within that you are not good enough; therefore, if you become authentic, people will see your faults.
• You have a scarcity mentality—you feel that if you are authentic, people will know everything about you and take advantage of you.
If you let go of these inhibitions, you will bloom like a flower, shine like a star and fly like a bird- so naturally and effortlessly. Have you ever seen a flower struggle to bloom, a star struggle to shine or a bird struggle to fly? Of course not- they have no inhibitions to stop them from sharing their gifts.
When you come from a scarcity mentality, you worry about someone stealing your idea, money or material. You look at people as dishonest and selfish. This behaviour comes from not trusting, not giving and not being authentic.
You can change this paradigm by becoming more trusting, by giving people the benefit of the doubt and the best possible interpretation. In every situation, trust the fairness of the universe and practise the power of giving in deed, action and reflection.
People who really connect with others and make a significant difference are the ones who are authentic—natural, poised, spontaneous. They are comfortable in their own skin and are not worried about their limitations. Do not mistake this for not working on improving shortcomings. Far from it. However, these people come from a position of abundance and strength, not weakness. They come from a place of love, not fear. They are able to leave their past conditioning behind and move forward with grace and confidence.