If You Want Respect, Be Authentic
Have you ever noticed someone who was trying to be something more than they really were? This often plays out in someone trying to be someone they aren’t. It tends to come off as annoying more than anything else. We can sense it a mile away.
When a person is inauthentic they are neglecting Truth. Their actions are a falsehood. If they can’t be themselves to us what other misdirection might they be feeding us, we might wonder if only subconsciously.
It’s hard to respect someone who is living life as a fake. What we respect more than anything else is often a person who is not afraid to simply be their true self.
Yes, some people who are “just being themselves can seem awful annoying. In cases like this, however, such people still aren’t really being true; they just don’t know it yet.
Our true identity, the Authentic Self, is our essence after all of our false constructs (such as the ego) and other attachments to identity have been stripped away. The Authentic Self is who we really are.
People are complex in that there is also a layer of personality as well. But our personality isn’t us either. Some of us might be quiet or loud, adventurous or cautious, but these tendencies are qualities of the subject, not the subject itself.
When it gets down to it, our essence has qualities of spirit: love, joy, and peace among others. When every other layer has been removed, WE can be described in these terms. Characteristics like these are overwhelmingly appreciated and always respected.
How many times has a genuinely authentic person (as in coming from a place of spirit) ever offended you or caused you to feel uncomfortable? I would guess that has never happened because the qualities of spirit, which we find in our Authentic Selves) are universally appreciated.
All persons who are authentic in this manner never need fear that respect will be far from them. Authenticity is a state of Truth and all people respect the real deal. We hunger for it in our leaders, journalists, and other influencers. Truth is a quality that never goes out of style.
Closing Thoughts and Questions
Feel free to journal your thoughts or leave a comment or comments below to generate further discussion:
- Without judging, take some time to consider a few people in your life that don’t appear to be living authentically (if you are writing these answers in your journal make sure these individuals won’t have access to them). Write out their qualities that stand out to you—how they make you feel and how others seem to respond to them. Are they positive traits or do they make you feel uncomfortable?
- Next, describe the characteristics of a few people that seem genuinely authentic. How do THEY make you feel? Better? Do these individuals seem to generally find themselves in greater favor and well respected? If you are living as your Authentic Self this should give you some insight into how others view you. Continue to live authentically and you will continue to be respected.
- What are the benefits of respect? List as many ways as possible that it can be helpful to you personally but also how it can influence the effectiveness of your calling and your impact on others. Garnering respect does not have to be about stroking your ego—it can have genuine benefit.
Aaron Force is a blogger from Seattle, Washington. He writes to educate others about the nature of an expanded consciousness to evolve humanity. Aaron unexpectedly experienced his own profound awakening and ego transcendence in 2015 and soon understood that the qualities of his own experience (a greater expansion and evolution in his life) could be applied to mankind collectively.