Finding Your Authentic Self

How do you find your authentic self? 

This is a really interesting topic.  To be your authentic self you need the courage to go within and the willingness to get to know your true self. And that can take some work but it’s truly worth it and you deserve to invest that time in yourself. 

So, start thinking about your life and take the time to reflect on what’s working and what you would like to change. Listen to your heart. Ask yourself some questions. 

When I came to really know my authentic self and listened intently to my heart, that’s when I found love. In fact my whole world changed and I moved to a new city near the lake and filled my days doing what I loved. And within a few years as I continued to stay true to who I was, it became super clear to me to start my 1010Zen podcast. So I could share what I was learning and help others find the happiness they deserved also. 

So in the case of starting the podcast, I thought about what I loved to do and more than that, I thought about what came really naturally to me. 

I thought about what careers I’ve had that made me happy and I thought about what I wanted to create in my life as well.  How did I see my life going? I thought about how I loved communications back in university and that I loved working on the radio back in 2010. Doing the morning show for a country music station was so much fun!!  But with two small children the hours weren’t going to work, (I used to get up just after 3am) so I brainstormed from there. And I loved talking on a microphone to the community and what’s really cool is that when I finally was clear - I realized I had all the tools to record a podcast from home. So I made it happen. 

I knew, without a doubt that helping the world to live more in the moment and with more peace was exactly what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to share all of the things that I was learning as creating more peace in my life is a focus. And now I’ve made this dream a reality. I've created 61 podcast episode and that’s over a years worth of recordings and I still love it. Even if I’m only helping one person. It’s still worth it. 

And that’s what I want for you. I want you to LOVE what you do. I want you to LOVE who you are. 

When you find your authentic self you can feel the inner happiness of being aligned with exactly where you’re supposed to be. 

And it can be a process. But it’s possible. You have to trust that where you are right now is exactly where you’re supposed to be.  And then do some work. And that’s up to you. There’s no timeline. No agenda. The inner work often isn’t so easy. It might take you longer than you thought. Sometimes we don’t like the person we are or the person that we never thought we’d become. We get lost.  We get stuck, our focus or our perspective is negative or we don’t see a way out.

I promise you, you’re not alone. We’ve all been in this space if we’re not in it now. I spent two years figuring out who I was after a 7 1/2 year relationship ended. I did a lot of dating and was really honest about who I was and what I was looking for. I wanted spark and connection and great conversation. That’s the stuff that really matters to me. And that’s what I found. Because I took the time to learn who I was, first.

Okay. So I’ve created a list of a few things that YOU can do to help you find your authentic self. Do what resonates with you.  I hope these ideas help!

Keep a journal. This is a really great way to reflect on your day. Write down all the things you loved about your day and what you’re grateful for. Keep it next to your bed. This is a really good habit to get into every night before bed. 

Think about who you love spending time with. Fill your spare time with the people who share in celebrating who you are. 

If you’re not happy in your career think about what you loved to do as a child.  You can write all your passions down on paper and then start incorporating them into your life. Spending time doing the things you love can help you become more in tune with who you are authentically. 

What about clothing? Clothing is something you may not have considered but it’s a part of who we are. I know when I put on something that I love, I feel great and confident. What do you love to wear? Be selective and wear only the clothes that you feel really great  in. 

Do more of what makes you laugh. Laughing is so good for us!! Everything is easier in life when we come from a positive perspective and when we laugh, like really laugh, there’s nothing else. Watch funny movies or if you loved FRIENDS watch it all over again. I did this recently with my partner Deryk, and truly forgot how funny it was. Laughing also raises your vibration and attracts more positive things into your life. I’ll expand on that in a future podcast ;)

And the last suggestion to help you discover your authentic self is to do a vision board. I make one every year and I love making the time to be creative and intentional about how I see my year going. You don’t even need to know where you see it going, just get a few magazines and start cutting out pictures and words that resonate with you. 

We all deserve to live a beautiful and happy life and being your authentic self can open the door to so many magical things. 

Here are two quotes that I love on the topic of authenticity....

"Let go of who you think you need to be and just be who you actually are."

And the next from the amazing Oprah Winfrey..."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."

Have a beautiful day!

Sandy xo