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What does it mean to “be authentic”? How do you know if you are being authentic? Is this a quality that you look for in others? Do you think it takes time to learn how to be your “authentic self”?
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To be authentic it means to just be yourself around everyone. How I know I’m being authentic is when people tell me that I’m very funny and that they never met someone like me. Also when some people judge me, some people get embarrassed to be around you with others because of the way I act. I would not like to be any but myself. It’s better to be yourself than to be someone you’re not.
It means to be yourself. It means to not die who you are to those around you. It means to be proud of who you are and what you stand for. You know you are truly being authentic when you don’t have to make up stories about yourself when you’re happy with the life you live the you on the outside reflects the you on the inside.
To be authentic means to be yourself and to not put up a persona. You know you are being authentic when you feel comfortable and are doing things the way you would do it normally and not how others would do it. You can also tell that you are being authentic when you are not constantly drained from constantly putting up a persona. We all should be authentic because we should be proud of who we are and not let anybody else’s judgement make us think otherwise.
These are some great responses!! I think that being authentic means that you are acting in line with your beliefs–like hollandryan51 said: the person on the outside reflects the person on the inside. I do think it takes time to learn how to be your authentic self. Just like anything in life, practice helps–and also, finding out who your authentic self is. Exploring different hobbies, arts, sports, and activities has helped me to find out who my authentic self is.
not having to hide behind a mask is so freeing. i think that if i am acting like i would with my best friend then i am being authentic. i don’t have to compromise myself or my values for anybody.
To be authentic means to be real. I know I’m being real when I am fluent and passionate about what I’m saying. I’m authentic when I’m being myself and honest about opinions and comments. Yes, I definitely expect people to be authentic with me because I want to know the real “you.” I do think it takes time to be authentic and be the “authentic you” because people have to learn what makes them “them” and build themselves. It’s important to be comfortable with ourselves.
Being authentic is just being yourself. I think that I know I’m being authentic when I’m not second guessing what I have to say or when I’m not faking interest in something I don’t care about. There’s a difference between hearing out what friends have to say and respecting their likes and dislikes, but to pretend to enjoy something solely because of them is fake and is NOT authentic. I look for it in others because I don’t want people to feel like they can’t be themselves around me. I also find that it’s stimulating to be around people of different interests. It takes time to be your authentic self because to be authentic, you have to be 100% true to yourself and accepting of everything about yourself which is very hard to do within our society.
Being authentic means being able to be yourself around anyone. Your personality is true no matter who you are with. You know you are being authentic if you feel comfortable in any situation. You don’t feel the need to tip-toe or monitor your behavior or what you say. It does take time to learn how to be your authentic self and to learn to not be shy and accept who you are.
Being authentic is more of a feeling for me. I can’t exactly put it into words but I know when I am being authentic versus when I am not. The best way I can describe it is that when I am truly being my authentic self I don’t seem to care what others think of me. Don’t get me wrong I do my fair share of obsessing over whether people like me or not but when I am being true to myself and who I am it’s easier to let everyone else’s opinions roll off my back. I wish I could say that I woke up and felt this way one morning but the truth is that it took me a while to even find out who my “authentic” self was. For me the process involved staying out of a relationship, going to therapy, and getting outside of my comfort zone. I started to explore things I always wanted to try, picked up some new hobbies, and reached out to new people. I honestly believe that we learn so much about ourselves when we are thrown into new situations, especially when those situations are uncomfortable. When we are faced with something difficult or new we have little time to worry about who we are “supposed” to be and for me the less I worry about that the more authentic I can be.
Expressing yourself freely despite criticism.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
– Mother Theresa