The world doesn’t need more positivity. The world needs more authenticity. The most powerful thing we can do is show up just as we are no matter what we are experiencing or going through. Positivity can be a beautiful thing and like anything else it has its time and place, but if we are always trying to remain positive rather than first facing the truth of what is, we will continue to find ourselves in a spin cycle with no real change in sight.  Facing the truth of what needs to be addressed is often the very thing that gives us the freedom and the opening to grow and expand. Being courageous enough to be authentic will guide us to connecting more deeply with our higher self. When we can be 100% honest with what we are truly experiencing and feeling rather than slapping positivity and wishful thinking over our emotions we are instantly brought to the present moment.  The present moment is the only moment where we get to create change because it’s the only moment where our clarity and power exists. Without knowing it, many of us are living in the past repeating experiences based on old stories that we continue to replay in our minds or we are living in the future with the hopes that one day we will finally be where we desire to be. When we allow ourselves to just be with our real thoughts and emotions, we give ourselves the power to inquire within and learn more deeply about who we are. We get to know all that we have been running from and attempting to deny so we can then learn what we would like to change and transform. We learn about what empowers us and disempowers us. We learn about what is and isn’t our responsibility. We learn about our fears, our boundaries and ultimately our true authentic desires. And we can do all of this without feeling blame, guilt or shame. If we don’t take the time to go within and get real with ourselves, we will continue to pretend to just think positive and pretend that all is well. Pretending keeps us running in circles while authenticity opens up the most unexpected doors. Being authentic invites in endless gifts including clarity, forgiveness, purpose, strength, courage, truth, self-love, inspiration, and  joy.

I invite you to check in with yourself the next time you find yourself forcing a positive thought or pretending to feel good. Be still and say, “It’s safe to be authentic.” and then ask,

“What am I truly feeling and thinking that wants to be acknowledged?”

“What message are my feelings trying to send me?”

“What are my circumstances trying to teach me?”

“What is needing to be expressed?”

The more we allow ourselves to tune in and honor our truth the more we feel connected to who we really are and are free to live from a more authentic place. In doing this, we stop blaming the outside world for what doesn’t seem to be going our way and we come to discover that we’ve always had the power within us to open up to who we are destined to be.