Challenge — Authenticity

This is the most interesting stage of the journey, the stage of authenticity. It is where you move outside yourself and look at how you relate to other people. Even when you develop full awareness of yourself you can have issues with how you portray yourself.

All Masks Disappear

The intention should be to be yourself so deeply that there is no difference between how you are to yourself and how you are with others. All masks disappear and you are free to enjoy yourself without fear of what others might think or how others might react.

You need to live the life you identify with openly and honestly. This tests the depth of your awareness and acceptance because it relies on you shaping your life to your ideas. It requires you to examine your life, again, in a different way. How do you act, how do you behave? What is your truth?

We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity.

When I Started Living My Life

There was a period in my life, when I lived in Edinburgh, when I was keen to be accepted by a group or people I worked with. I had moved my family north and I had no other connections in the city. To achieve this, outside of work, I felt I had to go drinking on a Friday night. The drinking went on late and, although it was fun, I always had too much.

In doing this I wasn't true to me or my family. My body couldn't take the amount of alcohol and mostly my weekends were ruined. I hated this and my family hated this. Yet I carried on indulging to gain connection with my colleagues.

Eventually I came to a decision to stop and start living the life I wanted to live. It wasn't necessary to turn my back on my colleagues at work, I just decided to be myself outside of work.

I lived the life I wanted to live and accepted responsibility for my actions.