What does that mean to be Fearlessly Authentic?
Am I not fearlessly authentic?
If we were to have a conversation, you will find that I am very authentic.
If we had a chat via text, Facebook, messenger, etc. you will also find that I am authentically me.
However, that has not transferred to the blog/website. Do not get me wrong…
I only write about what I believe in.
But it is more than that… Being fearlessly authentic … it is the fearless part that is missing.
It used to be here… just look at Out of the Almost Vegan Closet…. just free-flowing thoughts about labels, my mom. my dad and my doctor (plus a hint at an F-bomb).
In The Many Faces of Sisterhood, I did not worry that my sister by blood would get insulted. I did not worry about my sisters-in-law or anyone else.
I wrote my free-flowing thoughts and feelings.
People related to it, they liked it.
I mean, you can’t really tell from the blog comments as very few people commented but they were inboxing me on the daily.
Then there were many other posts… some that caused the closest people in my life to reach out and ask, “Did I do something to upset you?” or “Are you mad at me?”
Oftentimes, these posts were not even about them BUT something was happening…
People were beginning to recognize their own behaviors when I wrote about my feelings and observations.
People recognized themselves when I was fearlessly open.
But then, I began to worry that my clients would think that I was writing about them.
I began to worry that I would not be seen as a professional.
I began to worry that people should think that I always have my shit together. But you know what?
I am a real person with real feelings. I am a real person who does not always do everything “right”.
Why should people not see that side of me?
I am authentic in all of my work with my clients.
It actually makes me super empathetic.
They know that I have struggles. The appreciation of my sharing has been expressed.
They know it is OK to falter sometimes.
They know that it is what you do next that makes the difference.
My clients also made me realize that they know that I would never share their secrets.
I never share PHI (Protected Health Information).
My observations of what I see in the world around me are in my thoughts all of the time.
If you were in conversation with me about any of these subjects then you will find that I am fearlessly authentic.
I endeavor to understand the emotional motivators behind everything. I find this so fascinating.
There are so many things to learn when we observe and evaluate the world around us.
Why should I not share this?
It is authentically me…
The problem was never about being authentic.
The real issue was that I was out of alignment with my true purpose.
Living out of alignment is not what I want to be doing.
When you ignore a side of yourself then you are not truly authentic.
When you fall into someone else’s expectations of you then you are not authentic.
The same is true when you fall into what you believe someone’s expectations of you are.
It is time to find myself again!
I had felt unsure of how to balance the professional me with the personal me but the fact is that they are all me.
I had this idea in my head of how I “should” present myself. This persona.
My entrepreneurial readers know exactly what I am talking about.
It is the idea that all the “gurus” tell you when you answer their intake forms, quizzes, and similar.
The ones that do not really know me.
Well, I say “F *** it” because guess what?
- I curse, sometimes.
- I get mad, sometimes.
- Sometimes I get cranky.
- Sometimes, my feelings get hurt.
- I get sad sometimes.
Writing about it helps me to move from absorbing it all into letting it all out in a healthy (and *hopefully* helpful) way.
I am a healer who needs to heal.
It is time for me to get back to basics.
When I started this blog it was exclusively my musings.
I lost that for a long time and with it I also lost my passion for blogging. However, that is now in the past.
I am a healer who loves writing.
I love to provide info on so many things.
- Brain Health
- Emotional Health
- Natural Remedies
- Nutrition and Recipes
- Sexual Health
- Sleep Health
- Weight Loss & Blood Sugar Control
I am excited to share my reflections, random thoughts, and musings.
Let’s get started again.
Are you ready?
Naturally Yours,
Elise Ho, Ph.D., D.N.Psy
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P.S. That image of me at the beginning of this post is HUGE. Sorry about that… it is a little (or totally) obnoxious.
At first, I tried to play around with it to get it smaller but I couldn’t get it figured out. Then I messaged my web guy for help.
Finally, I said F*** it!
I published it… it’s all about progress, not perfection.
If I sit here and wait for perfect then time goes on and nothing gets done… so thanks for scrolling past that and reading all the way to here.
I appreciate it. <3
40 thoughts on “Be Fearlessly Authentic: The Story of Me”
It takes courage to be 100 percent authentic, especially in a public, written forum. I applaud you, Elise. I have also found those posts where I just let it all out are my most popular; they speak to people from a deeper place. Real connections are made. I confess I do screen things sometimes to protect people’s privacy, or out of fear for hurting someone’s feelings, or to not reveal something I don’t necessarily want to share with my coworkers who may read my blog. There are probably times when that is wise, but I also believe I should err on the side of revealing too much, versus holding back and being less than authentic. Thank you Elise for spurring me to think about that and good luck with your journey to fearless authenticity!
I definitely recommend a good read through to make sure that we have not shared info that is a violation of privacy. Considering people’s feelings is also very important and you are so smart to balance that against what is your own personal truth. As to what we may not want co-workers or colleagues to know that may be the hardest to filter. This makes me think of something else that would be really good to write about and open conversations around. Thank you for spurring that to happen.
This is absolutely a gem. This is something that I needed to hear for a long time. Beautifully written♥️
Thank you so much. That is really kind. I look forward to hearing how you utilize this info and guidance.
Great post!!
I think a lot of people are struggling hard with impostor syndrome right now with having to switch up so much of our work environments and being on social media/ virtual more.
I definitely struggle with the desire to please people and conform to what I think people want me to be/ hear. And want to learn how to better deal with criticism while being really authentic.
Dealing with criticism and being authentic while also maintaining a positive environment can be tricky. A great method to think before responding is to close your eyes and count to ten before responding.
I appreciate your honesty and transparency! Too many people hold back their feelings and don’t share who they are.
Thankyou. It can be hard to do. I appreciate your support.
This rings so true to me. Thank you!
Wonderful. I hope that it serves you well.
Very well written honey…….simply and truly stated
Thank you. <3
Love love this post; you go, girl!!! Thank for being so transparent.
Thank you, Olivia. It is a rip the bandaid off kind of time 🙂
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for inspiring others by being authentic!
Thank you. There is so much inspiration to be found in many places. I am happy to provide a small bit of that.
I talk a lot about health and weight loss too! So nice to meet someone authentic in this crazy social media world 🙂
Katy, I love that you also talk (and write about) health. Without that how can we build the foundation of our lives? It is great to meet you and I look forward to learning more about you.
I believe that being true to yourself always important. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have found inspiration here.
On a long term, being authentic is the only way to stay mentally healthy. This being said, especially in times like these, people pretend to be someone else – I think that’s far too much pressure and truly exhausting.
Renata, YES!!!! It is so exhausting and can also be rather depressing too. Thank you for being you.
We all need to be authentic and genuine. We have to be true to ourselves. We have to believe in our own capabilities.
Your words are very true. Thank you. Thank you too for being here.
Very nice, Elise! Thanks for sharing and offering something for collective healing as well, because when one heals, we all have the chance to heal and be authentic. So, you end up doing it for you but also impacting the world around you.
Thank you for your kind and wonderful words. The more authentic and real we are with people, the more we can learn and grow from. Right?
Such a wonderful reminder for all of us to be true to one’s self. I believe that it’s an important piece in our life we need to confront someday. It’s not easy and those who passed this part are quite amazing and I salute you guys.
Lyanna, thank you. I definitely feel as if I confronted it. The writing of it was not so easy but I am super happy that I shared the journey with my readers. I really appreciate your words.
You are absolutely right. Really love your post thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your support. I always appreciate the visit.
True true….it is never easy to be authentic, in my own experience. We gotta try, right?
We definitely need to always do our best to live our own truth. Thank you for visiting.
It is so important to always be true to yourself and to your feelings. Thank you so much for sharing this piece of you with us!
Thank you for reading it. I appreciate the visit and support.
I think this is something that one has to figure out constantly, since we are always evolving, growing, and changing. Being authentic to ourselves is certainly freeing!
Leah, true words for sure. We always need to be reassessing where we are, where we were, and where we are going.
I think being true to yourself is the key to finding what really drives you. You can’t be who you are if you don’t follow your compass.
I believe that you are 100% right. Thank you for visiting.
Being true towards your feelings, acknowleging what you are and accepting it is indeed bravery. Nice post.
Thank you, Priyanka. It is not always easy but it is very important. I appreciate your support.