Monday Mantra: The Reality of You

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".

Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.

Monday Mantra: The best version of yourself is the authentic one

Pinterest

I was doing self development work recently and read an article called Leading out Loud by Terry Pearce. The article discusses the important need to be genuine and authentic when communicating and working with others. To bring a human connection to our work interactions. To be personable, to be the real you. One sentence in particular grabbed my attention:

Most of us have abandoned the impulsive, passionate voices of our youth to sound more grown up and acceptable.

Damn. He's right.

I started to question how real I am all the time. Have I lost the very important internal youthfulness of myself in my every day interactions? Do I let people see my faults, gracefully and with my own full acceptance of them, or do I hide them away and pretend they don't exist so that I can pretend to be some kind of example of what being a grown up is all about?

It made me want to better study myself. To truly uncover the reality of who I am. Studying one's self, I've learned, is just like any other study you do in life. You have to invest time into it. You have to be willing to ask the hard questions to find the right questions to get to the final solutions. You have to focus, dedicate yourself, and be willing to see yourself in all of your good/bad/weird glory. You have to be willing to be honest in every moment.

Here are 10 questions and actions I've been working through to help me strengthen and fine-tune my authentic self. I hope they help guide you in the study of finding, creating, and fully embracing the real you.

• What do you do for fun? Does this support who you want to be and what you want others to see about who you are?
• What inspires you?
• Make a list of things that make you happy. Evaluate why each item brings you joy to help better understand what makes you tick. Focus in on these and think of ways to create this happiness in your life all the time.
• Are your words and actions in sync? Do you live/demonstrate the best example of who you are?
• What areas of your life need more balance? Why and what can you change to create that balance?
• Are you fully conscious to the decisions you need to make to reach the goals you've set for yourself? Are there goals that no longer apply, that need to be changed, or that should be added to help you reach your full potential?
•  If you were guaranteed to succeed at anything in life, what would you attempt? Why?
• What do you want to say you're proud to do for a living? What steps do you need to take to do that (if you're not already)?
• Draw a superhero cartoon version of yourself with a unique power you already possess. Maybe you make the best french toast in the world or you're the speediest dishwasher in all of Texas. Whatever your power, own it. In those hard or scary moments (right before a job interview, when you've had a bad day at work, etc.) mentally put on your super hero cape and remember this amazing power you possess that makes you uniquely you.
• Find 10 things you love about yourself, just as you are. In those moments of self doubt,  remember why you deserve love, from everyone including yourself.