Guest blog: Journaling on authenticity
© Iris von Brandstatter
Oh boy the 'A' word - yes folks, Authenticity! Today I want to talk about authenticity and how to use creative journaling to get closer to the 'real YOU'. Your true YOU is a flexible concept, as you change, so does your authentic self. Most of all, it's an exciting exploration of your wonderful YOU!
Many years ago, I found the mere concept of thinking about my authenticity was something really daunting. Especially when I looked around me: stuck in a job I didn't like, with people I did not care for, and a half-hearted relationship - well so much for authenticity. Where had I lost myself?? I was baffled that my life had come to this.
So I sat down one day with my journal and an intuition let me outline my hand with a pen on the page. I stared at this, something wanted out.
I gathered some magazines and cut out words that resonated with who I truly was and started sticking them in the outline, always focusing on authenticity. Not too long and I felt an answer forming: a) fear of not fitting in b) fear of not being able to survive doing what I really love. Lightbulb moment! I put my own hand over the outline and all those words, closed my eyes and breathed deeply … and then the tears came but also deep inside me a flame was lit anew … to just not give up finding the real me!
A great start for any Authenticity journey is:
1) Look what's in my head - aka what are you telling yourself on a daily basis and with which words.
2) Look at what comes out of your mouth – how do you verbalise your responses, feed-back, self-express?
"Authenticity is a matter of self-awareness and self-responsibility." That's where I had gone wrong or abandoned courage. I had not taken very good care of myself, no sir!
So I started writing words around the outside of my hand of 'ideal-case' scenarios … like 'wonderful, safe home' - 'lovely, trustworthy people' - 'fulfilling, creative work' etc. and spilled over onto more and more pages.
This soon became a journal in itself: My life in balance!
I started with the perfect authentic living arrangement, expanded on that in detail, with new words and pictures, then job satisfaction, then romance etc. Close to midnight, I was tired, yet psyched and put the journal under my pillow and slept on it - literally.
Looking at my inner vocabulary, I realised how much other people’s phrases and words had gotten into my head and formed a dictionary that was not quite 'me' … and a lot of it was negative and depreciating.
So later that weekend, I went online to look at a thesaurus and made a list of my favorite words and their relevant synonyms … like 'abundance' (affluence, ampleness, bounty, copiousness, fortune, myriad, opulence, plentitude, plethora, prosperity, riches, thriving) you get the idea. Just reading those words made me feel happier somehow! I had my positive affirmations right there, plentiful!
I also did this with words that I did not like or felt threatened by and that conjured up negative feelings and by doing so and finding their synonyms, I found it easier to 'dispel' the context and associations I had - after all they are only words and words … can be replaced.
I can say that this focusing on my Authentic Self got me rather quickly to
a) a wonderful place to live, just right for me
b) a new career doing what I love and being able to support myself
c) amazing new people and most of all a happier, more content self.
Call it the law of attraction - it worked, and still does. And it has led me to a new career bringing Authenticity also into businesses and throwing in a good bit of Emotional Intelligence on top. I run a LinkedIn group called: 'Authenticity & EQ in business' if you care to join.
After starting my workshops in creative journaling 10+ years ago, I included that very same hand-outline exercise in the manual and people have found it truly helpful for whatever their obstacles in the search of true self might be. So why not try it yourself. I would love to hear your feedback and see how you get on.
The journey of Authenticity is the most profound you will ever embark on and your journal can be a to help you step by step get more in sync with the core of your soul and the heart of what really defines YOU! “Feeling follows focus, it always does, it’s a powerful force!”
Happy journaling,
Iris von Brandstatter
Founder | Coach | Speaker
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