Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.
-- Bernard M. Baruch
Every great performance -- every piece of art that inspired you, every book that kept you turning the pages, every movie that kept you on the edge of your seat -- was created by someone who had the courage to express their inner truth.
Like any great artistic initiative and like life itself, the truth is never picture perfect. Yet it has feeling, draws you in, and makes a connection with you.
If you want to speak authentically, you have to share your difficult moments as well as your glorious ones. You are most likely a very honest communicator when you are sharing the more mainstream sides of yourself with which you know others are comfortable.
Yet here's the million-dollar question: Can you share the darker and quirkier sides of yourself? Until you do, you avert real connection. It's the sharing of your challenges and idiosyncrasies -- which, truth be told, are what make you interesting and unique -- that makes you feel accepted by others for who you really are.
Without risking the misunderstanding and rejection that may come with being yourself, it's all just a show. Your life is a TV set with you locked inside, as it was for Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. He ultimately had to break out, because he could no longer accept the fallacy that was his life.
This week, write down three actions you can take to be more authentic and live your desired life.