Pearl Nash
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
Authentic people are the best people to hang out with.
They have nothing to prove, they’re comfortable with who they are and they won’t negatively judge others to make themselves feel better.
I don’t know about you, but I find these kinds of people way more relaxing to hang out with.
But how do you work out whether you’re an authentic person with high moral values?
Are you living the life you really want without conforming to society’s limiting standards?
If you are, you might identify with these 15 signs without even realizing it:
1) You live in the moment
Not only is present moment awareness crucial to living a happy and fulfilling life, but it’s also a cue that you’re living authentically.
Why? Because you’re not stuck in your head. You’re not comparing yourself to others and dwelling over your insecurities.
Too much thinking gets in the way of who we really are. Our ego clouds our judgment and we’re no longer living presently.
But if you focus on living presently, you won’t be stuck in your thoughts and your self-serving ego won’t have any control over you.
2) You appreciate experiences more than the material things in life
If you’re an authentic person, you’ve probably found that you don’t get a lot of pleasure out of material things, but a walk in the woods makes you feel alive and well.
People who are authentic need to look beyond the things they own to find comfort and to feel alive.
A new cell phone won’t do that for you. You probably spend time learning, getting outside and going on adventures with those you love – that’s what an authentic person needs to thrive.
3) You accept that bad times are part of life
We all suffer. It’s an inevitable fact of life. But instead of denying this and prolonging your suffering, you accept it as a natural part of life.
You know that life is going to put challenges in front of your path and sometimes you won’t have control over what happens.
You can only control your reaction and that allows you to live the best life possible.
4) You don’t judge others
We all go through bad times in life. And the complexity of life means that you’ll never really understand what it’s like to be someone else.
This is why you don’t judge. There’s always a logical reason for why someone acts the way they do. You let people be and accept them for all that they are.
5) You don’t care about superficial attention
You’re the opposite of a superficial person. You’re comfortable with who you are, so why the hell would crave attention for meaningless things like status and appearance?
You know this doesn’t lead to true inner peace and happiness. The best way to live a happy life is to be content with who you are while working on goals that are bigger than yourself.
6) You don’t blindly listen to advice from other people
You’re open to taking advice, but you’ll only do so after careful consideration of the available information.
You trust your ability to think for yourself. You don’t let other people tell you what to do unless it’s actually valuable and moving yourself forward.
7) You don’t complain about your problems
We’ve all met those people who constantly spread toxic energy everywhere.
But you’re weary of the effect you’re having on others. You know that complaining only serves to bring others down with you.
You’re all about progress. You’d rather talk about solutions and goals.
8) You don’t care if other people don’t like you
If other people don’t like you, it doesn’t faze you. You know you’re just being yourself and if other people don’t like it then there’s not much you can do to change it.
It’s impossible to please everyone and being fake to do so would bite you back anyway. You are who you are and if others don’t like it, they can go to hell!
9) You show respect to others
Being authentic means that you need to consider others in your world – it’s not just about you.
If you want to raise yourself up and feel good about who you are, you don’t do that by making millions of dollars. You do that by being kind and respectful to other people.
Treating people with respect, regardless of who they are, or how they are treating you, can help you see that you are showing up in a way that serves you.
Someone might be yelling at the top of their lungs at you, but if you are showing up as your authentic self, being kind, you know that you can be at peace with yourself.
10) You listen to others
Being authentic means that you give people the floor when they need it.
You understand that our lives don’t revolve around us, or that the world isn’t there just to serve us.
You realize you are part of a bigger, grander scheme to make the world a better place, so you show up for other people and do great things.
Listening to others helps them feel connected to you and safe. Being authentically you gives someone a place to turn when they need it and they trust that you won’t hurt them.
11) You learn from your dips
Life will never be a straight path. There are ups and downs, highs and lows, and as much as we cherish the high points of our life, we must be sure that we do not neglect the learning experience from our dips.
It can be easy to shelter yourself into believing that fate is unkind, that bad luck just happens, but truly authentic people embrace the value of every failure and disappointment.
12) You’re honest with yourself and others
You can’t have authenticity without honesty. People who are authentic do not believe they need to lie, because they take pride in the truths that surround them.
They know the life they want to lead, and that life includes one filled with honesty and truthfulness, not deception.
13) You’re trustworthy
A common sign of authenticity is trustworthiness. You can always rely on these people to have a word as strong as stone.
Being authentic prevents people from letting others down, from betraying and from lying, because they respect those around them and themselves.
14) You Learn To Embrace Uncertainty
The authentic person does not fear uncertainty, because the authentic person knows that their path is not and never will be prefabricated.
Every part in life is filled with uncertainty; some parts are just more uncertain than others.
15) You Adapt
The ability to survive in this world requires a certain flexibility and adaptability that authentic people know well.
While it’s important to stick to your convictions, your values, and your morals, it’s also important to know when you would accomplish more by bending, learning, and adapting to your environment rather than forcing the environment to adapt to you.
