
June is Pride Month and a huge part of Pride Month is celebrating and accepting your authentic self. It's overcoming fears and doubts of being loud and proud about who you are.
Living life authentically is easier said than done. There are a lot of factors that can get in the way of being unapologetically yourself.
This month for our CONQUERing Collaboration, we wanted to talk about living an authentic life. This month, we turned to the CONQUERing Collective Facebook group to see what their advice is for living an authentic life. Before we share their thoughts, we'll share our advice about:
- What it means to live authentically
- Why you might struggle to live authentically
- How to live an authentic life.
What Does it Mean to Live Authentically?
You probably have an idea of what people mean when they say they're being their true self and living an authentic life. You might even think you're being unapologetically yourself when there are still external or internal forces holding you back.
Authenticity is all about embracing reality and being responsible for the choices you make. It means uncovering and fully knowing who you are.
To know who you truly are, you need to understand what your beliefs and values are. What makes you the person you are and what your moral code is.
Finally, authenticity is all about letting go of societal expectations and living how you want to life. It's shutting out the voices and opinions of everyone around you and focusing only on what you want.
Why Do I Struggle to Be My Authentic Self?
We know that being unapologetically yourself is easier said than done. From a young age, we are conditioned to want approval from others. Not acting out so you get approval from your parents, getting good grades to get approval from your teachers, and even liking things you don't like to make friends are all experiences we go through as children.
That need for approval is one factor that can be holding you back from authenticity. We think and act in ways we don't necessarily agree with when we want approval from others. If you want to live an authentic life, the only approval you should crave is from yourself.
Authenticity also requires a certain level of fearlessness that can be hard to achieve. Our fears can definitely hold us back from being unapologetically ourselves. There's the fear of our safety, of losing people we care about, and fear of being judged or rejected. It can be daunting to face those fears which is why a lot of people decide to hide their true selves.
Finally, the tendency to please others can get in the way of your ability to live authentically. When you put other people's needs before your own, you sometimes compromise who you are to make sure they're comfortable. To be authentic, you have to recenter yourself. You have to think of what makes you comfortable and what you need to be yourself.
Five Steps to Start Living an Authentic Life

Now that you're aware of what authenticity is and what might be holding you back, let's talk about how you can start living an authentic life.
We put together five steps that you can implement today to be unapologetically yourself:
- Build self-awareness. You have to truly know and accept yourself to be authentic. Pay attention to the way you act in public or with other people in general. When you notice yourself not being genuine, take note of who you're with, what situation you're in, and why you feel the need to hide your true self. Once you're aware of what makes you lack authenticity, you can work through what's holding you back.
- Find comfort in vulnerability. As we mentioned above, vulnerability is a huge factor that holds people back from authenticity. It can be really scary to let your walls down and bare yourself to the world. To build comfort in vulnerability, start being vulnerable with a small group of people you trust, then work towards letting more people in.
- Establish your values. It's important to think critically about what your values and beliefs are. Not the values that were instilled in you as a child or that society wants you to believe. Think about what you truly care about and what you firmly believe. Once you've established that, make sure your actions align with your new moral code.
- Trust your intuition. Listen to your mind and your body when they're sending out warning signals. Chances are, your intuition recognizes that you aren't being genuine or that you're about to be in a situation that would prevent you from being genuine.
- Face your fears head-on. Finally, our fears can hold us back from a lot of facets of life. Uncover what fears you have about being authentic and work to face those fears head-on. It helps if you have a support system that you feel you can be authentic with to support you as your face your fears.
It might sound like a lot of work, but it's a very liberating feeling to be unapologetically you.
Fidget Jewelry for Authenticity
You also have us at CONQUERing in your corner! A huge piece of feeling empowered to being true to yourself. Empowerment relies on your ability to take control of your life and being authentic is a great way to start taking control back.
We pulled together a few pieces of fidget jewelry that we think represent what it means to live life authentically:
- FEAR LESS. The FEAR LESS element reminds you that living life authentically requires a certain level of fearlessness. When you wear this fidget jewelry, you should feel empowered to face your fears. You have what it takes to overcome what's holding you back from living a genuine life.
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LET GO. The LET GO element symbolizes the need to let go of societal expectations and the need for approval from others. Both of those factors can drastically impact your ability to live authentically. Letting go of both can be very freeing and open up the space for you to be your true self.
- WORTH IT. The WORTH IT element can serve as a comfort that your true self is worth it. It's worth being able to live authentically without fear of judgement from others. It can feel tempting to give up and hide but this element can give you the strength to keep working towards a life of authenticity.
- Zoisite Crystal. Finally, we wanted to suggest a crystal that is associated with authenticity. All crystals have properties that many believe can heal a person. Zoisite is associated with authenticity, among other things. This crystal has been celebrated for helping people find comfort in their true selves and get over their fears of living authentically.
FEAR LESS | LET GO | WORTH IT | Zoisite Crystal |
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How Does the CONQUERing Collective Live Life Authentically
For this month's collaboration, we asked the CONQUERing Collective Facebook group how they live life authentically. Members of the Facebook group really showed up this month. They shared their personally journeys and what they do everyday to make sure they're living a genuine life.
Lara C. talked about how individuality and uniqueness is what makes us human. She reminded us all that you shouldn't be afraid to stand out or go against the status quo, "You don't have to stifle yourself for others at your own expense." She is a self-identified people pleaser and mentioned that this was a great reminder that she should be doing things because she wants to do them.
Jaymie L. shared her thoughts on pretending to be someone you're not. You end up exhausted and missing out on life when you get caught up in who you think others want you to be. The last line in her comment really resonated with me, and I think it will resonate with anyone reading this post, "I don't need to be who I think others want, I just need to be someone I respect and love."
Tara F. focused more on the definition of authenticity and what it means to her:
"To be authentic means to be imperfect, accountable, honest, and earnest. Authenticity means accepting your own boundaries and respecting those set by others, while accepting that the behaviors of others reflect on them, not you. Authenticity means staying true to your values and honoring your needs."
Finally, Colleen B. mentioned that she talks about living an authentic life a lot in her yoga classes. She called out how it can be difficult to be unapologetically yourself when we live in a world that is constantly telling us who we should be. She said, "It takes true courage to be yourself and live an authentic life, but it will also be the most fulfilling, enriching, empowering life when you learn to connect with and listen to that little voice inside nudging you a little closer...to embracing all the wonder that you are."
There were so many insightful comments that the CONQUERing Collective shared about living life authentically. We are in awe of the wisdom and advice we gained from the group.
Be Unapologetically You
It's very freeing to accept your true self and commit to being that person everyday in every situation. We know it can be scary but you have what it takes to be unapologetically you.
Don't let your life be led by fear and what other people think and want. YOU are the most important person in YOUR life.
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