Authentic Self

Who are we, really? Who are we when we emerge from the amour and disguises we use as protection? How would we show up if we walked into our truest selves?

Often, we go about our day minding our language, selecting our actions, crafting our presence in the world. We do this not to be false and to deceive, but rather to allay our fear of being judged. There is safety in sameness, in hiding the vulnerable parts of us.

To be authentically one’s self, there must be Psychological Safety. This is built through repeated situations of revealing where we experience acceptance and are celebrated. Our relationships with others create the psychological safety we crave in order to relax into ourselves.

There are a select few that truly know us. They have seen beneath our armour, our disguise, our curated existence. These people have earnt it, for they consciously gift us Deep Listening, they hold space for us, they give us permission to fail and, most importantly, they look at us with Believing Eyes.

Showing up authentically is our gift to others. In order to do so, we must feel safety and the belief of others. We are all responsible for creating the conditions for the authentic self to be revealed more widely.

We must see, hear and hold each other.