Who are you thinking about when you act: other people or your authentic self?
I have greater presence and confidence as I have relaxed into my self employed business, because I’m not wasting energy on putting up a mask and pretending to be something I’m not. All of my energy is going into my aligned intention rather than being diverted into worrying about what others think to protect myself.
When I embrace who I already am, it leads to greater ambition because I’m not worried about what other people will think if I fail. I’m focused on doing things because I want to do them, and even if they don’t work, I’ll learn and try again. The shame of failure matters less when I care less about my image.
There’s a vulnerability to that but I have learned that I will never please the people that don’t like me for who I am, so stop trying. If I focus on letting myself shine, the people who appreciate me become more devoted to helping me because they are getting more of the thing they like.
In other words, we only find our fellow travelers by putting our authentic selves out into the world so they can find and help us.
Thanks to my fellow traveler, Michael Trugman, for inspiring this post with one of his posts. Check out his great podcast, Mike’s Search for Meaning!