Speaking of authenticity
I’ve been reading a lot lately about thriving, specifically what is required to truly thrive. I’ve found a number of useful ideas and tips–taking care of your body, stretching your mind, doing things that bring you joy–but the one theme that keeps coming up over and over is authenticity. Everyone seems to agree that it is impossible to thrive if you are not living an authentic life.
I decided to join the mix with a post on authenticity. As I started researching, I came across so many lovely quotes on authenticity from people I deeply respect, I decided this space was better used sharing some of their words with you.
Be yourself–not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.” –Henry David Thoreau
We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” –May Sarton
Live authentically. Why would you continue to compromise something that’s beautiful to create something that is fake?” –Steve Maraboli
***Your turn***
- What does thriving mean to you?
- Any tips for living an authentic life?
- Do you have a quote you’d like to share?
8-week transformation challenge – week 4 update (half-way there!)
In order to create accountability for myself, I will be giving a weekly update of my efforts and progress in the 8-week Transformation Challenge. If you are not interested in this portion of my blog, please feel free to skip down to the Comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Workouts. I attended three Orangetheory classes this week.
In between the Orangetheory workouts, I did one yoga session, one ride on the stationary bike, one run, and one rest day.
Nutrition. This week’s nutrition was healthier, with fewer times eating out. The results showed on the scale. I also tried some new healthy recipes (brown rice edamame salad and peppery herbed turkey tenderloin). It helps me to stay on track to have a mix of reliable standbys and exciting new recipes.
Weigh-in. I lost 1.1 pound this week, for a net loss of 3.6 pounds so far. Considering I am halfway through the challenge, I am on track for the goal of a 5-pound loss. I will be curious to see if I’ve accomplished the hoped for gain in muscle mass.
Hi, Christie – Thank you for another thought-provoking post. Since my retirement, I have been thinking deeply about ‘authenticity’. For me, retirement has (so far) proven to be a time where I suddenly feel that expectations for me have been greatly reduced giving me the freedom to more deeply discover the real me. When people ask if I’m the same person in retirement, or have I changed, I respond that I am finally becoming the ‘real’ me….in a way that I have been unable to do since I was five!
When I was younger, I thought of youth as the time of growth and discovery and my retirement years as a time to relax and reflect on what a good life I’d had. 🙂 Now I realize all phases of life are about growth and discovery. As you noted, the latter half of our lives may present more opportunity for deep discovery of ourselves. So much of the younger years are spent just trying to keep our heads above water.
Congrats, Christie, on your success with the 8-week transformation challenge. The quote “Be yourself…” from Henry D. Thoreau is how I’ve been living my life. I experienced some challenges as societal expectations and my lifestyle in my younger years were different. I think it takes courage to be yourself. It’s like going against the current.
I love that Thoreau quote and am so impressed by your explorer lifestyle. My daughter (in her 30s) recently commented to me that she’s starting to realize she doesn’t need anyone’s permission to follow her instincts and do what feels right to her. If she can learn that lesson now, she’ll be a couple of decades ahead of most of us.
Hi Christie thank you for your thought provoking post. As you know my word and series for the year is Thriving and I hadn’t actually extended that to authenticity. You have made me take a step back and consider this. Thank you for sharing these inspiring quotes with us at Midlife Share the Love Party. Have a beautiful day. #MLSTL
Your blog focus on thriving has been a huge inspiration for me, and while the word “authentic” hasn’t necessarily been used, many of the comments and some of the guest posts talk about shaking off expectations, getting to know themselves, and living the lives they want. It doesn’t get more authentic than that! Thanks again for hosting the Midlife Share the Love Party.
I struggle with this sometimes. I worry way to much about what people think and if I’m living up to who they think I am. I’m going to work on this.
My day planner quote fits this topic I think: It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct , then your life will be safe, expedient and thin.—Katherine Butler Hathaway
I love that quote, Cindy. I think living authentically is a lifelong work in progress for most of us.
Another great read Christie! I think authenticity is a real thing that I’m only starting to ‘get’ as I age. Maybe retirement has helped and I love Donba’s comment as it sums it up for me. Shared for #mlstl
Thanks Debbie. Perhaps it’s a combination of life experience and the freeing up of time and energy to figure out who you really are that makes it possible to live more authentically.
I recently lost someone I loved very much to breast cancer. She never wasted time on trying to be what other people thought she should be or do what people thought she should do. She saved herself a lot of heart ache and spent her time doing what she wanted. And the surprising part? People adored her, she was so much FUN!
I love that, Heidi. What a beautiful tribute to her and a lesson for the rest of us. We better serve ourselves and others by being our true selves.
Great post and I love all the quotes. Learning who you are and being yourself are really the main tasks in living.
So true, Carol. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Christie, thanks for sharing such thought provoking quotes and the idea of thriving. I also like and respond to the idea that all stages of life are equally important and that we should keep our eyes open to new opportunities to learn and grow at each stage – as appropriate for each stage physically and mentally. Well done on your health and weigh tloss goals! Keep going 🙂
Thanks Jo. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I love well-arranged words that make me re-think things.
Authenticity has become a key word for me since I turned 50 Christie. I just want to be true to who I am and to enjoy that person. No more trying to be what I think others expect, no more masks or perfectionism (still working on the last one!) Brene Brown has been such an inspiration for me in this area – nice to see her quote heading your list. I think you only begin to thrive when you take ownership of who you really are – the good and the bad and start the journey to becoming the best version of yourself. I love that we are on this journey together x Thanks for linking up with us at #MLSTL and I’ve shared this on my SM xx
Well said, Leanne. I’ve loved being a witness to your journey and am often inspired by you. I’m glad we found each other!
I am trying to live my own life, on my terms. I have others that are in my life, that are very important and I try to treat them well. But when it comes down to it, I have to take care of me first. I spent many years taking care of everyone else, family, friends, patients. But,I have found that I am better able to care for others if I have cared for myself.
I’m glad you’re on a journey of self-discovery, Cherie. Of course, we care about others, and we don’t want to do anything to harm them, but it is true that you have to care for yourself first and be true to who you are and what you want out of life. Not only does that make you a better care-giver, but you deserve it for yourself. You are worth it!
I think we get so used to wearing different masks for different people we forget who we really are. In retirement, I am who I want to be but others aren’t always happy with that.
People close to us are often threatened by change, but hopefully those that matter will love us for who we really are. If they can’t, we still owe it to ourselves to live an authentic life and be true to ourselves. I’m glad you’ve been able to accomplish that in retirement.
I love the topic of authenticity. In my own life, I am finally feeling like I m living my authentic life. It feels reel and right. perhaps I have reached an age where i can finally trust myself and not worry about what everyone else thinks I should be or do.
Good for you Michele! I like the idea that living an authentic life comes down to trusting yourself.
Congratulations on your halfway goals of exercise and weight loss. It always feels good to achieve and those goals make us feel so much better in ourselves. This is obviously a part of you being authentic. I like your quotes. We live and grow at each stage, I have so often done things because it is expected of me and I don’t realize it until I look back. Retirement takes a lot of pressure off but I am still learning and growing.
Thanks Kathleen. There is so much to learn and room for growth at every stage of life it seems.
Huge topic, but great quotes to frame it. I have read so many Brene Brown snippets that I’ve got to settle into one of her books very soon!
So true, Michele; these quotes provide some thinking points, but of course, can’t begin to cover the deep subject of being authentic. I hope they will serve as inspiration to start the hard work of being authentic. I definitely recommend a Brene Brown book. I read The Gifts of Imperfection and thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as made some changes in my own life. Perhaps it’s time for me to choose another.