My journey to being authentic is something that I work on continuously.  Being authentic means that I will act in ways that will show people my true self and how I feel rather than showing them only a particular side  of myself.  This is not always easy as it opens yourself up to be vulnerable and fearful of not being accepted or understood.  My journey to being authentic actually started when I had my daughter.  I knew that in order for her to become the young lady and woman that I wanted her to be, I had to be the example that she saw first.  I had to let my guards down with others and also with myself.  I was my biggest challenge and I knew that I needed to develop  a growth mindset in my mind, body and spirit  in order to be the mother that I wanted to be. 

In order to be authentic you have to learn to love yourself first.  I had to really do a hard self-evaluation and reflection of myself, my life and the people that were a part of my life as well.  I began this journey by being intentional in my spiritual life and my walk with God.  I would pray and read the word to help me to better understand who I was.  I also began to journal my journey and write down any and everything that was happening in my life and ways that I could improve. 

In being authentic you also have to learn to forgive yourself as well.  We all make mistakes that is a part of life.  However, we should always learn from the mistakes and do our best to not repeat the mistakes, pick yourself back up and move forward.  As a single mother it was not always easy but the people that were a part of my life helped to make motherhood easier for me.  So it is important that you center yourself around positive people who are authentic as well.

I recently saw a post on social media that said…”FIND YOURSELF, AND BE THAT”…this is what the journey is about.

Rules of Authenticity:

A – Accept your self for who you are.

U – Unleash your fears

T –   Trust in God.

H – Hold yourself accountable.

E – Examine yourself daily

N – Never, ever give up on you!

T – Trust the process.

I – Improve in all areas of your life.

C – Communicate open and honestly to others.