Being honest with others begins with being honest with ourselves. When we believe it is better to be authentic than to be an impostor, to be genuine instead of disingenuous and to be at home in our own skin instead of wishing we were someone else, then we connect with ourselves.  

The Real McCoy

While growing up, I wished with all my might, that I’d magically turn into a boy, and be like my brother Bruce. Bruce seemed to have more fun than me. He’d tromped through the woods alone, play football with the neighborhood boys and raced his bicycle up plywood ramps in the middle of the street. I followed in his footsteps, but every morning, I still woke up as a girl. 

As a young adult, I wanted to be like Cynthia, an older sister, who was groovy and organic. She grew verdant houseplants, made homemade jam and sewed. But, I realized I hated to sew, making jam was too much work and although I admired the beauty of houseplants, their green leaves always turned yellow under my care.  

In short, I tried being someone else until a friend shared a bit of wise wisdom with me. She challenged me to be just me because no one else could be.  

This simple truth changed my course and my direction. I moved, one small step at a time, away from being a bamboozler to being myself.  

I didn’t sew or grow houseplants, but pursued college, career, marriage and motherhood. Then, I started writing a blog, wrote a book and am a public speaker. 

Accepting myself just as I am; imperfect, awkward, energetic, creative, an introvert with an eagerness to grow and expand in knowledge, propels me in a direction that makes me feel at home in my own skin.  

Another friend, who encourages me whenever I speak in front of an audience, tells me to just show up and put your guard down. 

Like any other skill we’ve learned, showing up, just the way we are is how we improve in being our authentic selves. 

Why bother being authentic? There is always more to our authentic selves than what meets the eye.  There are always new challenges presented to test our authenticity. Thankfully all we have to do is show up and go from there.