Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.—Aberjhani
Opening our hearts awakens us to our authentic selves, whose essence is love. Seeing ourselves through the eyes of our hearts, we can acknowledge that we are love and, therefore, entirely adequate and sufficient. In this state of awareness, we become our own safe havens, free to fully express who we are, for there is nothing we need to do except be in love, at one with our source of love, and at peace with ourselves. Seeing ourselves as love prepares us to cultivate loving relationships with others and living from the perspective of universal love.
Awakening to our authentic selves leads us to letting go of who we think we should be and embracing who we know we are. Living authentically is like singing karaoke. At first we may be nervous; yet each time we trust ourselves and surrender our need for perfection, we come closer to living this way.
An important aspect of living as an authentic self is communicating from the heart. We must speak our truth, our intimate thoughts and feelings, honestly, openly, and with our whole hearts. When we communicate in this way, our words take on a more profound and resonant meaning to the listener. Like nectar for thirsty bees, sincere, honest, and loving words encourage people to listen to us.
When we communicate from our hearts, we feel secure enough to express our inner truths without fear of judgment, criticism, or retaliation. However, when we are feeling vulnerable and in need of support we must rely on people who can embrace us regardless of our struggles, such as individuals on our energetic team. As Brene Brown poignantly states, “We need to honor our struggle by sharing it with someone who has earned the right to hear it.”1 Sharing our vulnerabilities with such loving, connected, and trustworthy people enhances our sense of safety and deepens our experience of trust and intimacy.
Even with such support, communicating about our vulnerabilities necessitates being aware of them and summoning the courage to share them. For example, when I unexpectedly became pregnant with my first child at the age of twenty-five and needed to share my paralyzing fear of repeating my mother’s legacy of abandoning her children, I called my best friend, a member of my energetic team. Shaken by feelings of shame for questioning whether I wanted to have the child, I reached for every ounce of courage I had to open my heart and tell her of my vulnerability. As it turned out, these revelations increased my self-love and compassion.
Communicating about our vulnerabilities in this way and accepting our experience as valid even when it differs from the other person’s point of view creates a loving relationship environment that supports us in acknowledging that the essence of our authentic selves is love. Moreover, surrounding ourselves with such people, provided they listen well, respond meaningfully, and support our needs, helps us to stay connected to our authentic selves. When we know our authentic selves as sources of love, we understand that our authenticity is much deeper than our patterns, identities, and roles.
Beautifully written and so true!
Your article speaks clearly to my heart. I know how it feels to wonder who my authentic self is…it was a struggle for me at one time. The journey has proven to be enlightening and so worth the time. It is so empowering to find another Sistah who understands the journey. I’ll be sharing this one in my FaceBook group, “My Sistahs Are Doing It”. Thanks so much for writing this.
Thanks Beverly for your heartfelt words and for sharing…hugs
A topic near and dear to my heart! Thank you for the beautiful share! xoxo
” Awakening to our authentic selves leads us to letting go of who we think we should be and embracing who we know we are. ” Beautifully said and written.
Debra (and Peggy!), I was writing EXACTLY the quote Peggy chose when I decided to look through the other comments and saw hers! I love this line about “letting go of who we think we should be and embracing who we know we are.” It’s really the heart of your post, in my opinion. I also like the part about sharing our stories with those who have earned the right to hear them. You really describe authenticity as not only a solitary force but a shared quality in relationships that matter.
I love it! Authenticity is the key to a joyful and abundant life full of love. Thank you for a beautiful blog!
I just love this topic! As a first time mom of a now 4yr, I feel that some of the most heart centered authentic conversations of my life have been with my “new mom freinds”. The freindships I have made in these past few years are deep, pure, and supportive. They have really given me room to express my authenticity with an open heart and one has even evolved into a beautiful business partnership. On another note, I often set the intention of openning my heart in my gratitude and yoga practices. Thank you for this lovely article! A big hug!
Beautiful, poignant and true. So grateful to have read this!
Beautiful share Debra! It is when we fully expose ourselves that we find freedom!
I particularly liked your reference to sharing with “someone who has earned the right to hear it.” I’ve seen so many women share indiscriminately, get hurt and use that experience as a reason to continue to stay walled off. Thanks for an important “how to” tip.
De bra, this is such a beautiful heartfelt article. When we expose our vulnerabilities, we are put in touch with our authenticity and are able to create supportive strong loving relationships. I grew up never talking about my vulnerabilities. My dad did not like to show them and I followed suit. After losing over half my immediate family in a short time, I knew I had everything to lose by not showing and sharing my true feelings and everything to gain by opening up. We can thank our beautiful hearts for guiding us perfectly!
Love this gorgeous post! Heart-centered living is such a beautiful way to navigate through life. XO