“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
~E.E. Cummings
When we’re young, many of us try to draw as little attention to ourselves as humanly possible. We know with certainty that we don’t measure up to those around us. Advice to “just be ourselves,” sounds to our ears to be the most ludicrous way to go through life.
Most young people are too full of self-doubt and self-loathing to even begin the journey to discover who they really are. To be safe in the world, we think it best to ignore our parents’ advice to “just be ourselves” and instead, mold our personalities and behaviors to blend in with the crowd, lest we be judged by our peers to be “weird.”
Sadly, when we get older, we are too far gone in the habit of pretending to be someone, anyone, but ourselves. We continue to trade our authentic selves for the safety and security of fitting in and being liked. We suppress our dreams, our abilities, and our spirit in an effort to not make waves or stand out.
But what if authenticity were the key to health and happiness? What if the entire point of life was to shine our individual light here on Earth? What if being our individual expression of Divinity was ultimately how we loved ourselves and the people around us?
A Near Death Experience Cured Cancer
Have you read the book “Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing” by Anita Moorjani? If you have not read this book, I HIGHLY recommend that you do. The information Anita shares is good for those battling cancer and other diseases as well as for everyone who wants to avoid developing cancer and other diseases.
Anita’s family moved from India to Hong Kong and she was raised there in a swarm of varying and conflicting cultures. She never felt quite good enough. Never fit in with her own culture or the people in her British expat school and social circle. This was a theme in her life – not knowing who she really was, or, more accurately, having an inkling of who she really was but stashing that authentic self away in order to fit in with the people around her.
In 2002, Anita herself was diagnosed with lymphoma after finding a lump in her neck. Anita initially rejected conventional medicine, mostly because she had seen how chemotherapy ravaged the bodies of her best friend and brother-in-law.
Anita spent four years battling her cancer, but eventually her organs started shutting down until one evening when she was rushed to the hospital where her family kept vigil. Anita eventually took her last breath and died. What happened next is astonishing. But I will let Anita tell you all about her near death experience (NDE).
What I will say is this: Anita realized that the root of her cancer lay in her spending years being someone other than herself. Instead of loving her own magnificence, she hid her light from herself and others. The messages she received from the other side were profound and led her to a new truth and a new way of living: being herself is what would heal her. Being herself and sharing her authenticity with the world, would help heal the world.
The following are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“I detach myself from preconceived outcomes and trust that all is well. Being myself allows the wholeness of my unique magnificience to draw me in those directions most beneficial to me and to all others. This is really the only thing I have to do. And within that framework, everything that is truly mine comes into my life effortlessly, in the most magical and unexpected ways imaginable, demonstrating every day the power and love of who I truly am.”
“I can’t say this strongly enough, but our feelings about ourselves are actually the most important barometer for determining the condition of our lives!”
“We’ve allowed our fears and ego to edge God out of our lives, which has much to do with all of the disease not only in our bodies, but in our world as well.”
“Our only obligation is to always be true to ourselves and to allow.”
“I just had to be myself and enjoy life, and to allow myself to be an instrument for something much greater to take place.”
Your Life and Health Need You to Show Up and Share your Gifts
Your health and the health of this planet require you to be authentic and share your true gifts. For many of you, that may be hard if you have been pretending and hiding for years or decades.
The following are some ways you can begin to let the real you out:
Accept the Challenge
Your journey to YOU can only begin if you accept the challenge of it. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to walk your individual path and honor the journey.
Accept Your Flaws
Being authentic has nothing to do with being perfect. Being authentic will require you to accept your true self as is, flaws and all.
Accept Your Pain but let it Go
One of the biggest barriers to authenticity is victimhood. None of us gets out of this life without experiencing pain and tragedy. We are not being punished when we are sad and grieving, we are simply experiencing the reality of life. Experience your pain fully to process it, but then let it go.
Make Authentic Living a Daily Practice
Commit to loving yourself each day. Be kind and respectful toward yourself. Nurture your needs and show yourself care and gentleness in some way each and every day.
Being authentic won’t come naturally for many people. It will be a daily, and in some cases, moment-by-moment choice. But the effort will be worth it. When you can show up in your life everyday with nothing to hide and with all the love to give yourself and others, this is how your life, health and the world in general can be healed.
With love,
Prue
