“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
-Oscar Wilde
It can be confusing figuring out who you are. The world is constantly telling us who we should be and how we should be spending our time. But if all subscribed to the same rules and timelines, we’d basically be re-enacting the dystopian novel Brave New World. In other words, the world would be a bland, boring place if we all didn’t embrace our most authentic self.
I know it can often feel like we are not enough. That we need to have the right look, the right job, the right personality. But I’m here to tell you that there is no one right way to be! And since that is the case, you might as well just be yourself.
The problem is, you may no longer know who that is. This tends to get blurred the older we get, because of all the messaging we are receiving from outside sources. What you do know is that your current reality doesn’t leave you feeling fulfilled or happy. You’ve tried being who the world says you should be, and now you’re just ready to be yourself! Well, I’m here to help you figure out what that looks like 😊
14 Self-Reflection Questions to Help Your Connect with Your Authentic Self
If we want to live a more authentic life, we need to figure out what that even looks like. To help you do this, I’ve provided a list of questions below that should provide you with some insight. Feel free to reflect on these questions, discuss them with friends or journal out your answers – you might be surprised at what you come up with!
1. What would you ask for if you knew the answer would be a definite yes?
2. If money was no issue, what would you be doing with your time?
3. Imagine you are living on an island where everything is the exact same as your current reality, except there’s no one else living there but you. How would you show up differently?
4. What did you want to be when you were a little kid? Why?
5. What were your favourite things to do as a child?
6. What makes you lose track of time and forget to look at your phone?
7. What makes you laugh uncontrollably?
8. Which moments in your life filled you with awe or took your breath away?
9. What are the little things that bring you joy throughout your day?
10. Visualize yourself having a conversation with your future self. They assure you that all of your wildest dreams came true. What immediately comes to mind?
11. How does your body feel if you imagine embodying your most authentic self?
12. What activities does your authentic self participate in, that you hold yourself back from doing now?
13. What are words people have used to describe you that made you feel good and proud?
14. Who are the people that you let your guard down around, and how do you show up differently around these people?
I’ve Answered the Questions – What Next?
Hopefully you now have a clearer picture of your most authentic self and are feeling excited to step into this version of you! I recognize that this process is not always simple, so I encourage you to reflect on what is currently holding you back from showing up as this badass version of yourself. This should give you an idea of small changes you can start making to dismantle these barriers.
I also challenge you to come up with 1-3 baby steps that get you on the road to becoming your favourite self. These do not need to be huge or groundbreaking. In fact, I want them to be achievable, realistic things that you can start implementing today. This will help set the foundation for living a more authentic life. Practice makes progress, and the more you make these small changes, the easier it will feel to embody your true self.
Conclusion
I hope this post helped you to gain clarity and has inspired you to start showing up as 100% YOU. After all, nobody can do it better!
PS – looking for some more ways to discover your authentic self? Check out these posts:
