If you’ve watched any of my podcasts, you know that I start my show off with the same question for all of my guests:
How do you live authentically every day?
One of my team members challenged me recently and said “How about if you respond to that question?”
To me, living authentically is all about being free.
Free to show up as me and not worry about fitting in… Free to take a risk because I know I’ll be taken care of regardless of the outcome. Free to speak my truth because I know I won’t be judged.
And free of anything else that holds me back, and stands in the way of me and what I truly want.
I live authentically by being real about how I feel. In other words, showing up as I am, no masks, no facades, no sugarcoating.
The other element to living authentically which is super important is checking in with myself regularly (as in several times a day!) and asking myself how I feel, and as a follow-up to that, what I need in that moment.
This way I can make little “micro-adjustments” along the way, and don’t let myself veer too far off course. Without the regular check-ins, we risk getting sucked into the drift, which usually ends in one of those, “How the hell did I get here?” moments. We want to avoid those.
So here’s the quick formula:
- How Do I Feel?
- What Do I Need?
Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
If I’m feeling tired, maybe I need to recharge and take a quick nap. If I’m hungry, maybe I need to grab a salad. If I’m fearing a particular outcome, maybe I need to have a tough convo with somebody. If I’m feeling stressed, maybe I need to step away and go take a walk.
Making sure I’m filled up across the board is what allows me to show up as my best self, and serve others around me at the highest level.
When we truly know ourselves, we know what it feels like to live authentically. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
There is nothing more magnetic than a leader who is in touch with who they really are.
And so now it’s your turn.
How do YOU live authentically every day?
I’d love to hear! Grab a time here and tell me.
As a leader, authenticity is everything.
When you intentionally commit to authenticity, you no longer have to labor so hard to motivate others. Your light shines from within and those around you, whether it’s your family, friends, or colleagues, are naturally drawn to you, and you inspire them to be their best selves. That’s how it works when you do the work from the inside out.
Stay tuned for next week’s article, where I give you a preview of my Authentic Leadership coaching content.