How to be authentically you
Authenticity has come up in a few conversations recently. Conversations involving taxi bosses, where work environments are stifling, or where a role and its expectations crushes the creativity out of the leader.
Often in coaching sessions, the hurdles to progress, the issues, the situations - all are part of a wider underlying need to show up as our true self.
When we’re not being our true selves, things come up - a riff with the boss, some bad communication with the team, a fall back in hitting targets, a resistance in putting in 100%, a reluctance in the board room. So in teams especially, it’s important to look at everyone’s needs, desires, and values.
In leadership and in personal leadership it can sometimes feel like there are invisible walls to climb.
Yet when we’re being our true self - it is an immense feeling.
When you’re living authentically you are unstoppable, you gain a new level of confidence and show up in a different energy, you’re in flow, enjoyment, connection.
When you’re being your authentic self you are not succumbing to societal pressures, you are being genuinely you. Your thoughts, actions, words and behaviours are in line with your values.
You’re true to your self - your own personality. You are honest with your self and others.
Doesn’t it sound amazing?!
How do you truly be your authentic self?!
We’re not encouraged to connect with our selves are we?!
We’re born into a society that is designed to take us away from ourselves.
Social media, escapism, alcohol and the concept of doing over being.
Getting to know yourself, to trust your self and to listen to what your emotions are telling you is a first step to showing up in your true self.
To BE.
To BE is to stop. To pause. To reflect. To take stock. To acknowledge. To become aware. To remove judgement. To observe biases. To hear the different inner voices and chatter and understand their purpose. To find the hurts. To comfort and learn what self love and self compassion feel like. To tap into the different energies and cycles and rhythms. To notice the reaction and the response.
All these things combine to a practice, the work.
And then you get to engulf into what I call your ‘zone of brilliance’™.
When you find your zone of brilliance you become one with yourself - you become that authentic self that seemed separate before, observed from the outside. To be in your zone of brilliance is to BE YOU, to honour you, understand you, look at you in new light, trust you, love you and forgive you. How strange it might sound - to become re-united with yourself.
But the first step always, is awareness. And that’s where skilled coaching can be the catalyst to a lasting direction of change. A pivot, having identified and uncovered beliefs and habits that are keeping you stuck. (I’ve spoken about how resetting helps us to show up with authenticity in a previous blog: https://kateb.co.uk/blog/reset ).
In order to unhinge the practice these conversations are necessary stepping stones.
These conversations will help you to:
Notice what’s really going on inside your head and heart.
Find your strengths.
Explore your values and beliefs.
Celebrate who you are and how far you’ve come.
Notice the influences that are detrimental to your authenticity.
Explore safely any uncomfortable emotions around showing up.
Establish the behaviours that are truly you.
Create a pathway to nourish your authentic self
Build confidence and knowledge so that you can show up unapologetically, as you.
3 ways to unhinge the hurdles to your zone of brilliance™
Work with me 121 - come and chat, free of charge about where you want to be: https://kateb.co.uk/appointments
Get on the Leadership RESET course - either DIY or sign up to the next live programme: https://kateb.co.uk/reset
Email me about forthcoming group programmes and wellbeing workshops: enquiries@kateb.co.uk
