Authenticity & A Life Of Freedom

I've been intrigued with the idea of freedom lately.

The sense of freedom only attained, when you can embrace yourself and be ok walking in the beauty and messiness of whatever exists. You know, freedom that comes from self love.

Freedom, like other advantages of living,  can be most appreciated when you can truly relate to living in a state of imprisonment. It's like, not understanding the privilege of food until you have to go hungry...whether by fasting or thru circumstance.

What circumstances can one feel imprisoned? So many. Between the viral story of "Zora and Jessica" to reading today that a social media icon is stepping out of the limelight, I realize that people, including myself, feel imprisoned to obtaining and managing identities. I recently read researcher,professor, and speaker, Dr. Brene Brown's,  The Gift of Authenticity, and one of the key takeways I got, was that in so many ways, we " Hustle for Worthiness." We're fixated on being what the world wants us to be to prove our value or worth as opposed to being ok, loving, settled and completely ok with who we are and ALLOWING the world to embrace us.

Every one of us has a purpose.  We're individually special and unique. We're individually a gift, therefore I believe it's actually a privilege for each of us to know one another.

There are beings stuck in emotional and mental slavery. There are beings whose identity, money, careers, talents and opportunities are being "controlled."

How wonderful it would be for beings to wake up and exercise their freedom. The freedom of choosing to be whatever they want to be. Not to hold up an ideal or to satisfy a status quo, but to genuinely love, embrace, and be themselves.

The value in authenticity is that you don't have to worry your self or feel imprisoned by the ideals of perfection. You get to enjoy the freedom of just BEing yourself.

Take some time to reflect and write down, what behaviors, ways of being or expression you partake in that are largely influenced by ideas of how you SHOULD think, act, speak, dress, etc. Then consider and reflect on this: Do you feel they align with your authentic self?

BE You,

Tiffany W.