LIVING AUTHENTICALLY.....what does it mean to you personally? (page 2)

journey-on

Seeker4--

"Remind yourself to live with a high level of intensity."

I like that.

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VoidEater--

"To not go against my conscience, and let others live their lives by their own consciences."

Always a good adadge: Live and let live.

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Hillary_Step--

"Learn to love the things in ourselves that we once may have hated, learn to accept that this is who we are, and then we are better able to change IF we want to."

It's so much easier to accept the flaws in others and love them anyway than it is to do the same for ourselves. I'm much harder on myself than on others.

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jaguarbass--

"quit being a Sheep."

This is so true. So many live their lives following after somebody else's dogma and never know what they could have discovered had they really sought to know themselves.

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Ilbh--

being ready to accept and embrace change in whatever form it may take.

That, imo, is key. Change happens...period. Be ready.

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caliber--

Thank you for your insight and reminding us of the rest of the quote.

Thou can not then be false to any man.

"

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flipper--

Not limiting ourselves anymore by boxing ourselves into a witness corner

And so many of us felt the sides getting narrower and narrower. There were times I felt I would surely suffocate in that dark and cramped box of the WTBTS.

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str8?--

I would like to think that the man I am now is honest, open and finally the man he was supposed to be.

I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you to deny your authentic self. Glad you were able to find liberation and happiness.

In addition to being true to oneself, living "authentically" also includes being true to all others, on all levels. I am not speaking of, for example, a harmful lack of tact or blunt honesty; one should always try to be kind, even if being truthful. So often, however, we present ourselves as we we would LIKE to be... and/or perceive others would LIKE us to be... rather than as we really are. This is understandable because, truth be told, most of believe they would be rejected if they came forth from the truly authentic - people really wouldn't "like" them. And such folks really care whether they are "liked" or not.

The account of the 88 year-old-man is priceless: obviously, he not only knows who he is... but doesn't care what others think of him. He was willing to risk ostracism and banning... in order to be true to himself... and his conviction. We should all be so "authentic;" unfortunately, it takes many of us an entire lifetime to come to this self-knowledge... and self-security. To come to a place where we don't let others define us... but define ourselves... as we truthfully KNOW ourselves to be... regardless of whether it makes us popular or not.

Thank you for the post, and I bid you peace.

A slave of Christ,

SA, who's always had a problem with the whole herd-mentality thing, often resulting in being "unliked" by, well, the Herd-O-The-Day... but never really cared anyway

mavie

Great thread.

For me it is always trying to observe things for what they are in that moment and to accept things and people for what they are, without judging. I find great inner peace when I am able to consciously do this.

I've found it a great help in discovering who I am, my authentic self you might say. Positives and negatives, it's all there ready to be observed.

Once I'm able to do this, I start to realize my authentic self changes from moment to moment, like water flowing in a river. "Who am I" is an ever changing variable.

journey-on

AGuest--

To come to a place where we don't let others define us... but define ourselves... as we truthfully KNOW ourselves to be... regardless of whether it makes us popular or not.

Coming to that place can be a lifetime journey.

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Mavie--

my authentic self changes from moment to moment

I hadn't thought about this. We tend to think our authentic self is something to be discovered and unraveled. We don't usually see it as changing from moment to moment. Something to ponder.

mavie

Mavie--
my authentic self changes from moment to moment
I hadn't thought about this. We tend to think our authentic self is something to be discovered and unraveled. We don't usually see it as changing from moment to moment. Something to ponder.

My authentic self is a contingent thing. It depends on what came before it, and to a degree what I anticipate will happen in the future. Just like the water that flows a certain way because of the rocks below, the size of the river, and the degree of the incline, so is my authentic self.

Observing this without judging, part of an authentic life for me.

Hortensia

to me it means not lying to myself - no denial, face facts and deal with them. It means having the right to make the wrong choices but then the obligation to deal with the consequences. It means carrying my own loads, cleaning up my own messes, taking care of my responsibilities and letting other people take care of theirs. It means speaking up for myself, and telling the truth when necessary. It means not allowing others to rule my life. It means giving myself some slack, and giving others some slack.

beksbks

Void,

To not go against my conscience

You hit the nail.

Casper

What living Authentically means to me...

Like many said above, "To Be True to Myself".

I was such a different person before I became a witness at 28..

Over time I allowed them to practically eradicate most of my personality. I became a shadow of myself. In that case I was not "true" to myself at all, I had given my power away... For ex. the shunning aspect... that was Not who I was... I could not do it, as it went against my very being.

After leaving, I am working very hard to find myself again, to be the person I was before. Some of "me" is lost forever... But, for the most part, I am emerging little by little.

to me it means not lying to myself - no denial, face facts and deal with them. It means having the right to make the wrong choices but then the obligation to deal with the consequences. It means carrying my own loads, cleaning up my own messes, taking care of my responsibilities and letting other people take care of theirs. It means speaking up for myself, and telling the truth when necessary. It means not allowing others to rule my life. It means giving myself some slack, and giving others some slack.

I totally agree with Hortensia as well.

Cas

LIVING AUTHENTICALLY.....what does it mean to you personally?

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