Unveiling Authenticity: Navigating Self-Worth in a Validation-Driven World
Posted on March 13, 2024 by Danielly Kaufmann, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Exploring authenticity and self-worth, navigating validation-driven choices, and embracing imperfection for fulfillment and genuine self-acceptance.
Why are we so afraid to be ourselves sometimes? It’s not just me; it’s a phenomenon many people talk about. It’s a common subject in therapy and one of the reasons some people feel unfulfilled. We often hear ‘be yourself, be authentic,’ but what does that even mean?
Somehow, we all carry wounds of ‘not being good enough at something.’ To start, I’m not exactly sure what it means “to be authentic” too, but it’s related to self-worth, and self-worth is inversely related with not feeling good enough. So authenticity and self-worth are related, and it involves having empathy for yourself, acknowledging your humanity, and accepting that we won’t always be perfect or cool. We celebrate ‘coolness’ so much, but it’s okay to be embarrassing, to make mistakes, to be human. Authenticity doesn’t mean perfection; it’s perfect because it’s imperfect.
This question is also important in a professional perspective, because it pertains to your career aspirations as well. You might find yourself choosing a career path based on external validation, only to realize that true happiness and fulfillment cannot be achieved through validation alone. Self-worth is crucial in determining whether you’re pursuing your passions authentically or merely seeking approval from others. The real question is: Are you cheering yourself on when others aren’t? That self-validation is far more significant than any external applause.
In our quest to understand what it means to be authentic, we need to relax into simply being. Authenticity doesn’t demand perfectionism. Let go of self-pressure and self-criticism while still striving for improvement. It’s a delicate balance.
There’s no single answer to the abstract question of authenticity because we change, and our authentic selves can change too. Pay attention to how you feel when you’re being yourself, around yourself and others. Feeling comfortable indicates you are on the right path. Stop second-guessing your guts, your intuition. Well, if you are feeding your values and soul with good soul food. Otherwise, intuition may fail, but try to start listening to it.
Yes, there’s a lot of letting go in this process. Being authentic may involve letting go of people who were around you when you were not being authentic, people you got used to pleasing in exchange for validation perhaps, as your validation for yourself, your self-worth, was not “working” so well at the time. And that’s okay, indeed, that’s very good, it’s a sign of growth. Let them go. The important thing is knowing how to let things go without losing yourself. It’s a journey toward being authentically in love with yourself, which leads to love for others because ultimately, this brings us closer to the essence of life, which is love.
#Authenticity #SelfWorth #Intuition #SelfLove #PersonalGrowth #LettingGo #SoulFood #SelfAcceptance #EmbraceChange #LoveYourself
