5 Ways to Live an Authentic Life

Being authentic means living our true self. It’s when our words and actions are coherent with our values and beliefs. It is being the purest form of ourselves and not a version of what we think or have always been told what we should be. There’s just no ‘must’ or ‘should’ in authenticity.

But, hey wait! If being authentic is being our real selves, how many of us actually take time to connect with ourselves on a deep level?

Authenticity requires self-awareness and self-knowledge. It requires identifying our strengths and weaknesses. To be authentic, it’s important to know about our own values and desires so that your actions are consistent with those qualities.

If you find yourself unhappy, sad, bored, fragmented, frustrated and disappointed most of the time, this could be a sign that you are not at good terms with your authentic self. Maybe that’s something you need to work on to fix the other areas of our life.

Let’s see how you can get in contact with your own self to live an authentic and amazing life:

5 Most Important Points to Live an Authentic Life

1. Hear Your Inner Voice
   
   We often feel out of sync when we are being inauthentic. When things just don’t feel right, sit alone for a while and hear your inner voice. Try to understand the wisdom of your heart through reflection, prayer or meditation. Trust your intuition and instinct when you are faced with important decisions and choices in life.
   
   
2. Love Who and What You Are
   
   We all want to be accepted and appreciated. We love the feeling of being loved. However, we often try to hide who we really are just to be likable among our group. Don’t do that with yourself.
   Never apologize for who you are and what you feel. If people accept the real you, that’s great! You’ve found your tribe. If not, don’t try to fit in. It’s exhausting trying to be someone you are not. Wearing unnecessary masks just to be accepted by people makes life imprisoned and hopeless.
   
   
3. Maintain Balance Between Your Emotions and Reasoning
   
   One of the best lesson that you can learn in life is to learn how to keep a balance between your emotions and logic. Whenever you are stuck in a stressful, intense, and difficult situation, ask yourself if you are handling your emotions the right way. This will help you to manage the situation maturely without acting up.
   The key to a happy, contented, and authentic life is to know how to use your emotions and reasoning to make decisions in a calm and composed manner.
   
   
4. Know Your ‘Why’
   
   As you are starting your journey to an authentic life, it’s time to realize what you really want in life. Your past experiences and pain have the seed of your purpose. Your task is just to identify it. Once you discover and embrace your purpose, it’s more likely that you’ll get close to the answers you’re looking for so long.
   One good thing about starting a new life is that you can let go of the unnecessary pressure and drift away from the people who no longer serve your new life vision.
5. Open Your Mind to New Experiences
   
   When you’ve gone through bad past experiences, pain, and heartbreak, it becomes difficult to open your heart and mind to new life experiences. Your anxiety, depression, self-doubt, feelings of hopelessness, and negative self-talk can be the greatest hindrance to opening your mind to new perspectives and experiences. Rise above it all. You might need some therapy to overcome all your fears but once you’ve made peace with your past, you’ll feel strong and independent in your life.
   In order to live an authentic life, stop trying to control the outcome of every life situation. Just go with the flow and open your mind to whatever comes your way. Instead of running away from your reality, accept it and do the best you can to overcome that particular phase of your life.

Wrap Up

Living authentically is not something static. It’s not like you wake up one day and decide that you’ll be authentic from now on. Living an authentic life is being comfortable with shifting to new life forms, challenging the old beliefs, sorting out the past baggage, and constantly changing perspectives as you grow.

Similarly, the experiences of authenticity are different for everyone. Things that are authentic for me can be quite different from the things that are authentic for you. There’s just no competition, comparison, or judgment. I respect the authentic you and you respect the authentic me. Simple as that!