Practice Being Authentic

"Insist on yourself, never imitate."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We hear the word "authentic" bandied about frequently. What is really means is the art of being true to yourself. Many of us hide behind social facades, fearful of letting anyone know the "real" person we are. Maybe the fear is that we won't be accepted for our true selves. The reality is that you are more likely to meet people who you can have meaningful relationships with when you are yourself, as opposed to pretending to be someone else.

This week: Practice being yourself. You don't have to reveal all the intimate details of your life, but show the world who you really are at least in some single social situation or with some trusted friend. Notice how it feels. Although it might feel uncomfortable at first, the more you do it, the less difficult it will become. Really. Often what stops us from being ourselves is a fear that others won't accept us or will judge us. Give yourself an opportunity this week to find out that others are too preoccupied with what YOU will think about them to jump into a judgment about you.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC. She has 30 years experience helping people find their true, authentic selves by getting rid of the emotional clutter of negative emotions and limiting beliefs formed from past experiences. For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .