Being authentic, being real, is a form of freedom. You are free to live out your true nature. You could live out your feelings, thoughts, values, beliefs, preferences and personality. I find that it is a real great pleasure to be able to be yourself and stay true to your heart, as well as being congruent in the way we treat people around us with no pretense. I realized how being authentic helps our mental, physical and spiritual health. Have you ever wondered what are some of the qualities of an authentic person? I would like to be like an authentic person, what about you?
Here are six qualities of of an authentic person in my own words.
Authenticity: 6 Qualities of An Authentic Person
1. Authentic people accept and are secure of who they are.Â
Authentic people acknowledge and accept their biggest strengths and flaws. They accept their failures and mistakes. Their self-esteem are healthy and do not depend on others to feel good about themselves. Not only that, they stay true to who they are and do not compromise on their beliefs and values. Authentic people are good in self-reflection, intentionally reflecting about who they are, what they want, what they have done, what should be improved and on all aspects of life.
2. Authentic people are able to express their emotions and thoughts freely and clearly.Â
They acknowledge their feelings and thoughts, even if they are intensely negative, and have healthy ways to express and deal with them. They say what they have to say and do not shy away from their emotions. If they feel like crying, they would cry. If there is something really bothering them, they would voice out and not feel bad, no matter what it takes. Of course, they would do it in an acceptable way.
3. Authentic people are honest and trustworthy.Â
Even if giving a negative comment, they say what they think. This is because they are true to themselves, they uphold their values have high integrity. Furthermore, authentic people are transparent in dealing with anything or anyone. There is no hiding, doing or saying things behind people's back, as they acknowledge that being honest, even though it might hurt others, helps more than just flattering people with lies just to make people feel good and feel good themselves. As mentioned, authentic people are secure in who they are and they do not require people to make them feel good.
4. Authentic people accept other people with empathy and understanding.Â
As they are able to accept themselves, they are also able to accept others. They treat others with respect and kindness, like how they treat themselves. They do not put others down to lift themselves up as they are secure of who they are with a healthy ego. Authentic people are genuine in every word and action, and they are non-judgmental, because they have already accepted every part of who they are, even their biggest flaws, knowing that no one is perfect.
5. Authentic people are inspiring and influential.Â
This is because they are already secure in who they are, and they are able to self-reflect and move forward to develop themselves. As they are have this intrinsic motivation to go further and improve themselves, they would be able to influence people around them naturally.
Authentic people also have a positive outlook in life which make them realistic as they accept themselves despite their flaws and mistakes, and these give them a natural charisma to be inspiring and influential.
6. Authentic people are open and learn from their mistakes.
As they know themselves and are secure of themselves, mistakes or negative comments do not affect them negatively. Not to say that they would not feel bad or hurt, but they accept all things that have happened to them. They acknowledge the pain that these things have caused, knowing that these negatively feelings would lead them to repentance and self-improvement.Â
What is life if you cannot live freely? What is life you do not live out who you are made to be? Not only being authentic helps us with our physical, mental and spiritual health, it also improves our quality of lives as we do not create unnecessary stress for ourselves by just being ourselves. We could also have greater productivity. Our outlooks are also brighter, and we could truly enjoy being in the present moment.
Leave a comment below if you have thought of anymore qualities of an authentic person. :)
Sincerely Yours,
Kim
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