I’m really impressed by Caitlyn Jenner. So many of us walk around with a mask on, never letting anyone see our real self behind it. Caitlyn has finally taken off the mask; she has nothing to hide. That’s courage.
Caitlyn Jenner is being authentic, and she’s doing it in the public eye. I give her a lot of credit.
To be authentic is to show the world our true face, as Caitlyn Jenner is now doing. But in order to be honest with everyone else, first, we’ve got to be honest with ourselves.
It’s hard to acknowledge the truth about who we are, what we need and what we want to do. We all internalize the expectations of our family, community and society, and the mind’s “Inner Critic” reinforces these “shoulds” and “should nots.”
To be honest with ourselves means confronting the fact that we might incur the judgement of those around us. We have to come to terms with the possibility of other people being disappointed with us, angry at us or even disgusted with us.
The Inner Critic tells us that we’re “bad” or “wrong” if the things we want or feel are different than the “norm.” A conflict arises within us: do we acknowledge and express our true nature or do we hide it from ourselves and from the world?
It’s scary to be real. People will judge. They’ll laugh in our face, say horrible things and try their best to humiliate us. There will always be haters who take pleasure in making us feel bad about who we are.
When I think about how some people spend a good part of their lives hiding their true nature from everyone, it’s completely understandable.
Even if these people have been able to face the truth about themselves, it can be terrifying to risk misunderstanding, judgement or rejection from their family or society.
Caitlyn Jenner spent most of her life living behind a mask. Today, she can be her authentic self. I’m hoping that her courage inspires everyone, not just the transgender community.
She should be a role model to anyone who’s ever been fearful of being real.
But how do we conquer this very real fear? It’s simple, if not that easy. We must develop greater self-compassion. We must begin to love and accept ourselves more, so that we can do as Caitlyn Jenner did, and show the world our true face.
When we can see that we’re okay just as we are, it will be easier to be authentic, no matter how much we diverge from the expectations of our family and our community.
Being authentic, then, starts with self-acceptance and self-love. We can see that even if other people don’t accept us, or if they criticize us, we haven’t lost anything. When we love and accept ourselves, other people’s judgements don’t take anything away.
Being authentic is possible, not just for Caitlyn Jenner, but for everyone. With self-love and self-compassion, we can all have that courage; the courage to face the truth about who we are, and the courage to show the world our true face.
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