This article was so inspiring to me and completely in alignment with how I view authenticity and how important it is.
I hope you will read this, and know that at the Fruitful Vegan Village I as the coordinator will be encouraging these “6 ways to be yourself in a world of illusions and fakeness.”
Here are the six ways she suggests to be yourself and I added comments of my own to those suggestions she has made.
- Illusion of perfection: I haven’t worn make up or shaved my arm pits or legs for about 4 decades. I probably would have given those things up sooner except my job as an entertainer made it more necessary for me to do those things. Some of you might remember when nylons were in style. Our legs had to look perfect!
I am getting in the habit of wearing an apron everywhere I go, often wear the same beloved skirt, and my shirt is usually a t shirt. I may not look the most stylish of anyone, but I feel comfortable in my outfit, and I wash clothes less often. I wear this skirt that I found somewhere that I don’t remember. It was falling apart at some seams, but I repaired them and just love the skirt. I’ve gotten more compliments on this skirt than just about anything I have ever worn!
I have a friend who cuts my hair, and usually at first my hair doesn’t look that great, but as it grows out it looks better and better. I’m not worried about perfection anyway…I know I am saving a lot of money plus I get to spend time with my friend and we stay connected.
Well, I could go on and on with how I do not care about perfect appearances! I like this suggestion, and it validates my choices.
2. Unraveling societal conditioning
I learned when I was only 21 how much was going on behind the scenes where the government, corporations, and so many other individuals and groups, did not have our best interests at heart. I would have been labeled a conspiracy theorist if I had the courage to share my views openly back then. I finally realized that trying to hide unpopular beliefs was not beneficial. I want to have true friends-not people who think I am a certain way and thus approve of me. Besides, it has been proven over and over by overwhelming documentation that most things that people call conspiracy theories are not theories, but facts.
Even now I see how I was influenced to be promiscuous. I was a young woman who was proud of all the different sexual relationships I had with men, and often I was the one who initiated the sex because then I felt more in control. I realize now how this was programmed into me at an early age, and how important it is for young people to preserve their virginity until they can have a relationship where life-long commitment is made. That’s a topic for another discussion. But I sure do agree with this article https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/5-reasons-why-you-should-wait-for-marriage-to-have-sex
3. Connecting with your inner essence
I am finding that every morning I need to connect with Jesus in a profound way where I remember the times when miracles happened in my life where I strongly sense the presence of Jesus, think of current things to be grateful for, and then I remember some tragic unresolved incidents in my life. I talk to Jesus about the incident or related incidents and ask him what he thinks about it or what does he have to say about this situation. I always feel comfort. I always cry. I always leave with a sense of peace.
I also am meeting with a friend on a weekly basis to do a reflection on the day. I want to do this by myself every day. It’s time to journal again! I hear from so many sources that journaling is one of the most healing things a person can do for emotional healing.
I used to think that by myself I could not have the discipline to do this morning and evening routine. It has been at least two years since I have been doing my morning routine, and I know that this practice has helped me to have inner peace in a way that nothing else has done.
I still want to live in community where we can encourage each other to have this reflection time, and I am glad I can do this alone. But with others supporting this action, I know it is much easier.
Embracing vulnerability and imperfections
I really relate to this. I used to be crushed when I made a mistake. Now, I realized that I am probably going to be always making mistakes, especially as I push the limits of my comfort zone. I do want to be increasingly conscious so mistakes are rare. I have a position of responsibility in this moment where if I lost the keys to all the things I am responsible for, all hell would break loose! And I have other responsibilities, like making sure the hose is turned off, locking the gate, and so forth. There are some things I just can’t afford to make mistakes about! I find that I rarely if ever make such a big mistake that the situation can not be remedied. And that is another story.
Admitting my mistakes is so much easier than trying to act like I’m perfect. What energy that takes! Having compassion yet still vowing to do better next time, is helpful.
Expressing your unique authenticity
I shared something similar to this in the first part about the illusion of perfection, so you can refer to that. I will add that I am unique because I am a vegan. There might be only about 4 vegans in this whole county. I’ve only met 3 others, so their might be more. Some people feel a need to hide this fact, but I know it is an important aspect of my being. I am also a Christian Universalist, which means that I do not believe in eternal conscious torture of people who do not subscribe to certain beliefs about Jesus. My beliefs are based on deep study of the scriptures and the early church leaders and Jesus teachings. I am extremely unique in many other ways, but I am glad to see that an increasing number of people are embracing unschooling, home birthing, attachment parenting, Wim Hof cold therapy, simple living, community living, permaculture and the value of going barefoot.
I just can’t hide who I am and those who like me appreciate my authenticity which means I am courageous.
Live in alignment with your values.
When I was 26 years old, which was 43 years ago (it’s 2023 right now) I learned about the importance of identifying my values and then living according to them. This may have been the most important thing I have learned in my life.
Thanks for reading this. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.
