Over the last couple years the term authenticity has become the hot new buzz word! We see it in topics from personal development regarding our journey in reconnecting with our true self to the topic of creating lasting relationships by being authentic and open with our partner. Yes, we even see it used when discussing business, marketing and social media in relation to the new conscious business paradigm. I use the word quite often myself especially in regard to the type of business relationships and marketing principles I believe in.

I did a Google search today and discovered over 71 million hits for the term authenticity. I have many books and audios on the topic because I am so drawn to it, so for a moment I am going to step out of my ‘business’ hat and share my personal thoughts on why I believe that ‘authenticity’ is so much more than a buzz word.

A Fundamental Purpose of our Human Experience

In philosophy, one of the common definitions you will find for ‘authenticity’ often refers to the human existence and the conscious self and its journey and struggle in coming to terms with being and existing in a material world. The conscious self struggles with encountering the external forces, pressures and influences which are very different from itself.1 So, authenticity is the degree to which we can tune into and embrace our conscious self (authentic self) and stay faithful and true to our internal, rather than external influences.

The Journey Back to Oneself

What I’ve discovered over the last twenty-five years of my inner journey is that life doesn’t have to be a struggle. In fact most of the struggles we experience come from the times when we ignore the truth of who we are to fit into the world’s model of who we think we need to be. Each time we smother our voice, our wisdom we get further and further away from the core essence of who we are and our purpose here. Over the course of my journey, I had become so disconnected from my truth that I had accumulated layers of false masks that I had taken on through life to feel loved, accepted and validated in a variety of circumstances.
Until the day came when I had lost myself and no longer recognized who I was. I had become disconnected from my truth, my essence and felt like a fake in the midst of my own life. That day I began the sacred and scary journey back to myself. One by one I began removing the false masks and began excavating the truth of who I am, who I always had been. Through my own experience and the hundreds of conversations that I’ve had with women over the last twenty years, I’ve come to deeply believe that we are here to experience and reconnect with our true selves, our authentic selves and until we do we cannot live or serve our true purpose.

Unfolding in Divine Time

As I write this post, I am six months away from my fiftieth birthday and can say from the deepest recesses of my truth that I am unfolding in Divine time and love what I am discovering under each layer I bravely peel back. Yes, even after 25 years of inner work, I am still unfolding, digging deeper, peeling off layers of untruth’s and false fears and the masks they hide behind. Getting back to our authentic self is a spiraling journey – there is no ‘there’ because with each layer we release offers us more insights, lessons and opportunities for healing.  As painful or challenging as a release can be I remind myself that with each one I am coming closer and closer to my essence, my truth, my authentic self.

Serving the World with our Authenticity

I want to circle back now to how I use the term when I’m discussing my business, beliefs and the feminine conscious business paradigm (FCBP) that I write and speak about. Many of us who embrace the principles of the FCBP believe deeply that until we, as individuals, do the inner work to remove our masks, heal our wounds, nurse our inner child and release our fears that we cannot fully step into our authentic true self and serve the world with our mission. The world is waiting for YOU to shine your unique light, share your Divine gifts and embrace the truth of who you are.

So as you can see, the word authenticity is much more than a hyped up buzz word to me. It  represents what I aspire to, the truth of who I am, who I want the world to see and most importantly who I see when I look in the mirror. My beautiful, bold, vulnerable, loving, joyful authentic self!