Show of Hands Please

Who out there thought naming your children would be really fun? And who found that it was incredibly challenging; a time-consuming, often stressful, and sometimes contentious process through which you and your beloved partner and soon-to-be co-parent learned a lot about each other (like how incredibly stubborn you both can be)?  And who out there grew attached to a lovely name that wasn’t meant to be and then found letting go painful?  Maybe multiple times?

Yeah, me too.

Naming Awakening Authenticity was similarly challenging, less the incredibly significant complication of having to reach agreement with another person.  It took months – coincidentally, just about nine – before I landed on a name that felt right and it was a true labor of love.

Letting Go

Along the way, I found ideas, concepts and words that really appealed to me, and as people so often do, I got attached to certain ones that just weren’t right.  Letting go of something that was “good” but not “right” was difficult at times.  And sometimes I held on for a long, long time. (Did I mention I can be stubborn?)

Looking back, I can see such similarity between those instances of holding on and other times in my life when I held on for dear life when I was meant to just…let…go.  Jobs.  Boyfriends.  Expectations.  Some poor fashion choices.  Junk around the house.  Can you relate?

Why do we hold on?  Maybe we don’t want to admit that we made a poor choice?  Fear of the unknown?  Fear of failure or perhaps, of happiness or success?  Anticipated judgement, backlash or isolation?  A long-held notion of how things “should” be that you are reluctant to revise?

We needn’t fear the voice within that gently nudges and whispers, “let go.”  That voice is our light, yearning to shine brilliantly but struggling to do so through the thick fog of fear, doubt and indecision that we ourselves create.  It knows that something much better awaits.  When we listen, the fog clears with graceful ease and our light can shine again.  And in that light, something better almost always emerges.

And so it was with “Awakening Authenticity”.  When I finally released everything and trusted my intuition to guide the way, the right name came to me within a day.  It wasn’t a vast departure from the ideas I’d been entertaining all along, but I had to release them to allow space for Awakening Authenticity to emerge, to find the answer that I had been seeking.

What Does “Awakening Authenticity” Mean

It’s a little bit nebulous, isn’t it?  Intentionally so, my friends.  One of the things that I really love about this name is that it’s subject to some level of interpretation and allows you to assign your own meaning to it.  It’s fluid, and can move with the tides of our day-to-day lives.  Little stays the same in our world, and we must constantly flex and flow and let go to allow new things in.  I love that this name can go on that journey with us and be whatever we need it to be in the moment.

How Do I Understand It?

I hold two separate but related interpretations of “Awakening Authenticity”…for now.  I am deliberately allowing space for that to change and evolve over time and am excited for that unfolding.

Reflecting on my inner journey, I think of it in terms of an ongoing process of learning to be more honestly aware of my “still, small voice” and honoring it more consistently with a calm and loving presence.  It’s a practice that requires a lot of patience, forgiveness, learning and letting go…a beautiful – though sometimes difficult – journey of self discovery and personal growth.

Looking outward, I think of You, my dear reader, of my family and friends, my community and a world that yearns for more connection, more sincerity, and more peace.  I think of my role in helping to facilitate that, gently awakening each of you to your beautiful, authentic light and helping you to shine unapologetically, one person, one post, one day at a time.  And then I think of inspiring – I hope with a humble and grateful heart! – each of you to help other travelers on life’s journey awaken to their own authentic light and shine brightly.

What Does It Mean to You?

I’d love to hear from you!  What does “Awakening Authenticity” mean to you?  And what does it mean to “Shine your light”?  Challenges – internal or external – are bound to crop up as you journey.  What challenges do you face or anticipate facing as you step into your own authenticity?  And what, in your view, are the rewards of authentic living?  Last and perhaps most challenging, what do you have to let go of so you can shine?

Please take a moment to share your thoughts, concerns and wisdom in the comments section below.  Our light grows when we share it!