Lachlan Brown
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
You’ve probably heard the above quote from Oscar Wilde. He makes it sound so easy to just be yourself.
But the truth is, authenticity is difficult to develop. Society is constantly teaching you to fit inside a box and be a conformist, but our true selves can’t be stereotyped.
The problem is, if you’re not being true to yourself, it’s difficult to get the best out of yourself and make the most of life.
If we want to be happy and fulfilled, we need to learn who we truly are so we can start living authentically and meaningfully.
According to Oprah Winfrey, embracing your true self might make you more successful as well:
“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.” – Oprah Winfrey
Authentic people are deeply in tune with who they are and what they want in life. Here are 10 traits of authentic people that they probably don’t realize they’re doing every single day:
1) They let go of negative people
They won’t put up with people who won’t respect them or put them down.
They know the incredible potential that exists inside every human being and refuse to have limiting beliefs shoved in front of them every day.
If they can’t be their true selves when these kinds of people are around, then they’ll simply walk away.
2) They express their true feelings, even when they’re not popular
Authentic people don’t care about being liked by everyone. They’d prefer to stay true to their values and say what they believe.
While this can make them unpopular at times, they’ll always stand up for what’s right.
3) They are confident
When you’ve found out who you truly are, social anxiety and nervousness tend to disappear.
Authentic people don’t care what you think about them, because they are who they are. If you can’t accept that, then you need to take a hike.
Authentic people’s confidence comes from the fact they have nothing to hide.
4) They prefer deep conversations
Meaningless chatter can make an authentic person go insane. Eleanor Roosevelt nailed this one:
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
Authentic people won’t gossip about others. They’re secure with themselves so they don’t have to put other people down to make themselves feel better.
They prefer to talk about things that actually matter.
5) They help others to be their authentic selves
Authentic people don’t expect others to fit into a certain stereotype. They accept people for who they are.
They prefer honesty and people who just “tell how it is” because that’s the best way to get the most out of any conversation.
It can be liberating to be in the presence of an authentic person because you feel free to act however the hell you want to act.
6) They don’t blindly follow advice
Authentic people are logical people. They’ll never accept something unless it agrees with their own common sense.
Just because other people do something doesn’t mean they’re going to follow. They’ll think about it critically and only do it if it makes sense for them.
7) They don’t complain
We all encounter problems in life. Authentic people know this. And they know that there’s no point in blaming other people when shit goes south.
They take whatever actions they need to, but if they can’t fix it, they don’t bother complaining either. They realize that it’s simply wasted energy.
8) They’re internally motivated
When you’re living authentically, you know what you want in life. And when you know what you want, you’re motivated to achieve it however you can.
Whether it’s healthy relationships or a successful job, authentic people will prioritize what’s important to them and focus on what needs to be done.
9) They make the best out of any situation
Authentic people have a healthy perspective on reality. If a challenge presents itself, they won’t deny it or avoid it. They accept things the way are and do their best to change it.
If it can’t be changed, they don’t bother whining about it. They figure out a way to make the best of it.
10) They don’t get stressed when someone doesn’t like them
When you speak your truth and stand up for what you think is right, you’re bound to hurt some people’s feelings. While that’s not an authentic person’s goal, they won’t sugar coat things or avoid a difficult conversation.
They are who they are and you can love it or hate it but I guarantee you won’t change it.
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