What the Heck is my Authentic Self Anyway?

If you are connecting to any spiritual community these days, you have no doubt come across the term “authentic self”. What exactly is that, you wonder?

To put it plainly, it is the person you were meant to be when you decided to incarnate on Earth. It is the truest expression of who you are separate from any and all social constraints and family dynamics. 

Often, we can get caught up in who we aren't rather than who we are. We may find ourselves putting on different faces, depending on who we are going to be communicating with, and not really being true to our “authentic selves”.  Sometimes we also react badly to other people's interpretations of who they think we are, and that can send us on a downward spiral. 

So who exactly is my authentic self? 

Your authentic self wants to express itself through creativity. That was the deal that it made when it decided to live this life. Your authentic self wants to create. That's what it's meant to do here. Whatever that may look like. It could be as an artist, it could be as a writer,  it could be as an engineer, it could be as a hairdresser, a baker, a designer, a teacher… you get the idea.  It could be any number of careers that creatively speaks to your soul, and gives you genuine, joyful happiness when participating in it. 

As part of our “Earthly lessons”, life often deals us obstacles and other circumstances that can throw us off of our authentic selves’ plans. Add to that the fact that we come into this world forgetting who we really are, and why we are here, and oh what a mess we can make. It’s actually supposed to be fun to figure out what our “truths'' are.  Why then does it always seem to be a struggle?  We refer to it as “work”.  We live for the weekends when we can actually do what we really want to be doing during the work-week. It often doesn’t seem very fun at all. 

It really doesn’t have to be that way. 

You’re out of alignment with your authentic self.

So how do you get into alignment, you ask?  Start doing what your soul is desiring to do. Whatever type of creative outlet that gives you pleasure will align you to your authentic self. 

Now that doesn't mean that right away you're going to switch careers or jobs and start making tons of money doing what it is that gives you so much joy and satisfaction, but it is the first step toward that reality. 

It seems crazy, but when you are in that energy of joyful creation, things start happening in such a positive way. The Universe takes notice, and doors will start to open.  Ideas will start coming to you showing  you how you can actually turn  your passion into your career. Momentum kicks in and an energy shift happens. You are now living in the energy of your authentic self, where all of your desires can be realized and manifested. 

Staying in that energy can sometimes be a challenge. When life throws unexpected things at us, we have to react to them. How you react, will affect your energy, and can either bring you down or boost you up. Trying to stay in that joyful energy of your authentic self when things are really hard can be a struggle. But it is exactly in those moments when it is most important that you do try to get back into that creative mode because that's what will bring you through to the other side. 

If you cannot for one reason or another engage in your creative outlet, you can shift your energy in other ways. One of the best ways is to go take a walk outdoors. Get fresh air and allow yourself to decompress and take in some nature. Another way is to put on music that you love to listen to. That will definitely shift your energy. Watch a TV show that makes you laugh. Meditate. Read a book that you love. Whatever you can do to get out of the negative energy and back into a positive space will help you to realign to your authentic self every single time.
Fake it ‘til you make it!