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Being Yourself

January 2nd, 2009
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Psychology Today has an article called Dare to be Yourself in which the author explores the notion of authenticity. I laughed when I read their “technical definition of authenticity” because sometimes I can be rather technical.

…the unimpeded operation of one’s true or core self in one’s daily enterprise.

Of course the researchers needed to be technical in order to study what makes up a person’s “self.” They came up with a few key components of authenticity:

The first, and most fundamental, is self-awareness: knowledge of and trust in one’s own motives, emotions, preferences, and abilities. Self-awareness encompasses an inventory of issues from the sublime to the profane, from knowing what food you like to how likely you are to quit smoking to whether you’re feeling anxious or sad.

Self-awareness is an element of the other three components as well. It’s necessary for clarity in evaluating your strengths and (more to the point) your weaknesses: acknowledging when you’ve flubbed a presentation or when your golf game is off, without resorting to denial or blame. Authenticity also turns up in behavior: It requires acting in ways congruent with your own values and needs, even at the risk of criticism or rejection. And it’s necessary for close relationships, because intimacy cannot develop without openness and honesty.

One of the significant questions is do we discover or invent what we consider to be our self. There is some disagreement on this, and recognizing the important constituents of your own self is a tough challenge, especially as an ongoing practice.

Coaching moment: Are you completely happy with who you are? A useful exercise might be to list three of your strengths and three of your priorities in life. Now sit back and think about what’s stopping you from achieving your priorities. Can you think of any way to use your strengths to help facilitate your priorities?

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  1. Rebecca Stees
    January 8th, 2009 at 19:00 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    My Three Strengths

    1. Self-expression and Reflection

    2. Creative Fun

    3. Innovative Productivity

    My Three Priorities

    1 Leadership in a creative community

    2 Love as a spiritual relationship

    3 Embracing healthy choices

    Happy New Year Judi!

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