Be You
Everywhere I turn these days I’m confronted with this idea of authenticity. Is it just me or is it coming up a lot for you as well? It seems awakening the most authentic part of ourselves is a longing that perhaps resides deep within each and every one of us. How incredible it would be if we could let go of all preconceived notions and worries of what others would think. The ego has us grasp so desperately to what others think of us.
But what I'm sitting with more and more is this idea that there is a profound liberation in not giving a fuck.
This shift in perspective invites us to ask different questions.
And what I'm finding through my own years of inner work is that refocusing my lens has transformed personal development from a journey of acquisition to one of revelation—not about becoming "more" but about becoming more authentically me.
It's the idea that our deepest growth may come not from striving to reach some idealized version of ourselves, but from having the courage to be who we already are—fully and freely.
So in that spirit, I invite you not to change, but rather to reveal all of you—especially the parts you hold and hide. The parts that feel scary to share with the world because they might be your weirdest, most quirky, or unconventional aspects. It's that part of you that might be loud and boisterous, overtly opinionated, leaning too far right or left. That part of you that's possibly pissed someone off because you stood up for integrity or witnessed immoral injustice or spoke up because you couldn't idle back.
It's that part of you that might be embarrassed because somewhere along the line someone was not receptive to what you said and made your thoughts feel small.
So rather than asking yourself "How can I be better?"—because we know there are a thousand ways each one of us can do better—let's be bold and candid with ourselves and ask instead:
What part of myself am I not fully expressing?
What more of me does the world need?
What part of me do I need to lean into, develop, and bring more to the fore?
Perhaps there's a myriad of layers weighing the authentic you down. You've built up a host of shields as protection, but really you're suffocating the shiny parts of you that need reflection and want to be revealed, those parts of you that are just aching to shine.
What layers can you shed to show up lighter, airier, more free, more you in the world?
And instead of "How can I fix my flaws?" we might wonder "How do these perceived flaws serve me? How can I grow from here?"
We're all made up of a complex web of supposed flaws and faults, but which of these are actually gifts in disguise? Which parts, when confronted and acknowledged, could be in service of your growth rather than hindering it and keeping you concealed from the world?
The most profound transformation may not come from changing who you are, but from finally having the courage to be who you've always been.
So with that I leave you to ponder who it is you really are that we need to really see. Who is it that's hiding in there? What great dynamism are you harboring and keeping from us all?
For more listen in to this incredible conversation from the Blossom Your Awesome Podcast with Mindfulness Coach Marijke McCandless on Going Inward - the most remarkable way to discover your most authentic you.