Saturday, August 29

Authenticity, Its Challenges.......... 8/29/15

     How hard it is, genuinely relat-ing.  Being seen for who we truly are.

      Expressing our thoughts.  Scarey. Saying what we feel and want. It's going on a limb. Revealing what is happening within, is tough.

      Often, we fear the opinion of oth-ers.  Seeking to please, has us sac-rificing.  We aren't truly ourselves.  Our authentic self is sacrificed upon the altar of public approval. We mea-sure our status by the applause received from others.

      Frequently, what we've done, the power and control we exert are the standards by which we assess ourselves.  That's an empty perspec-tive.  When relating, there is nothing more valuable than honesty, balanced with grace and joy.

     Do we need to lie, to stay in a relation-ship?  Of course not.  Pretending to be someone we aren't is unfulfilling.  It is bet-ter being ourselves.  If we have to be more than we are, in order to be loved by others, we want to bless these individuals, sending them on their way.  God's gift for us, they aren't.


     Those God sends our way love us.  As we are.  He gives them to us for free. They will have our back.  I agree with the following:

We long for the feeling that we are okay just as we are.  We long to feel relaxed.  We long for the courage to live with integrity.  We long to reconnect with our authentic self---that sense of uniqueness and originality that comes from deep inside and is independent of others expectations. 
When we have the courage to show up as we are, we discover that we feel more deeply connected to oth-ers.  It's paradoxical.  When we are fully expressing our one-of-a-kind selves, we also feel more kinship with all the other one-of-a-kind selves in the world. Why? Because when we are fully self-expressed, we become free of unfinished business and are able to be fully present to others.  
Self-expression leads to feeling open, available, trusting, and relaxed; all things that lead to feeling connected to others.    Susan Campbell, Getting Real, 73-74 
       No, I didn't dis-appear the past week.  I was tied up.  Work consumed me in all ways: mentally, emo-tionally, physically and spiritually.Hand-ling crises in the lives of others the last sev-en days depleted me.  Pacing myself while navigating the tur-bulent waves life tossed my way, was needed.

       Despite this week's pressures, I enjoyed peace of mind, equanim-ity.  I took care of my body.  Monday, I bedded at 8:00 p.m., drained, after handling intense sessions.

       Starting the day after Labor Day, I'm getting additional training.  Can't wait.  Such times invigorate me.  Being with colleagues who understand the pressures I face is reassuring and strengthening.

        I am tired, calling it a day.   Thank you, for dropping by!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pablo!
It is difficult to be my authentic self. That part of me that is afraid because
we don't know what will happen. Actually I do, intellectually, but I haven't allowed myself
to be that part inside of me that doesn't know, that wants to be itself.

Dear God,
May I be more intimate, but even more importantly, learn to stay with that part of me that doesn't know. The part of us, our authentic selves, that may be interpreted as inappropriate, not right, or weak. For our superego to stop punishing our authentic selves that never goes away. May I have more clarity to let go of the past, and realize that it is only I right now that can take care of myself, to recognize what was neglected in me. Amen.

Love,
Tony

Pablo said...

Tony!

I appreciate your presence and transparency in seeking, desiring authenticity. You have my support. It involves being in touch with our feelings--relating. It requires us to not stay in our head, thinking, and being less controlling. We want to develop a comfort level with being vulnerable with discomfort.

We gain freedom from the fear of others, and their opinions of us, when we are internally referented. This is marching to the drum of what we feel and want, our standards, not those imposed upon us by others.

Thank you, for your prayer. You have mine!

Pablo

Quotes from the Posts

"I'm mindful that our thoughts affect the words we use, our words influence our actions, our actions shape our character and our character determines our destiny."

From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.

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From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post
written. To read it, please click here.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
From the post: "Life Is Not a Correspondence Program." Click here to read it.

"Even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we choose to respond to them."

From, "Handling Stress and Dealing With an Emotional Bully."Click here to read this post.

"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"

From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.

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