Quotes About Authenticity

Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don't exist in the human experience. We must walk in the arena, whatever it may be.

Oh, the audacity of authenticity. You're going to confuse, piss-off and terrify lots of people – including yourself.

We hustle for our worthiness by slipping on the emotional and behavioral straitjacket of cool and posturing as the tragically hip and the terminally "better than." Being "in control" isn't always about the desire to manipulate situations, but often it's about the need to manage perception. We want to be able to control what other people think about us so that we can feel good enough.

when we don't care at all what people think and we're immune to hurt, we're also ineffective at connecting. Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism. Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.

Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don't exist in the human experience.

If you trade in your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.

If we're going to put ourselves out there and love with our whole hearts, we're going to experience heartbreak.

Belonging, on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.

The main concern of wholehearted men and women is living a life defined by courage, engagement, and a clear sense of purpose.

Cuando nos pasamos la vida esperando ser perfectos o inmunes antes de salir al ruedo, sacrificamos relaciones y oportunidades que quizá sean irrecuperables, derrochamos nuestro valioso tiempo y tal vez le damos la espalda a nuestras aptitudes, a esas contribuciones únicas que sólo nosotros podemos hacer.

Technology, for instance, has become a kind of imposter for connection, making us believe we're connected when we're really not—at least not in the ways we need to be. In our technology-crazed world, we've confused being communicative with feeling connected. Just because we're plugged in, doesn't mean we feel seen and heard.

If you're not in the arena with the rest of us, fighting and getting your ass kicked on occasion, I'm not interested in your feedback.

In addition to the fear of disappointing people or pushing them away with our stories, we're also afraid that if we tell our stories, the weight of a single experience will collapse upon us. There is a real fear that we can be buried or defined by an experience that, in reality, is only a sliver of who we are.

Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance.

They want to be a part of something --to experience real connection with others-- but not at the cost of their authenticity, freedom or power.

vulnerability and love are the truest marks of courage.

I often say that Wholeheartedness is like the North Star: We never really arrive, but we certainly know if we're headed in the right direction.

Owning our story can be difficult but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.

Once everyone understands their vale, we stop hustling for worthiness and lean into our gifts.

Yes, shame is tough to talk about. But the conversation isn't nearly as dangerous as what we're creating with our silence! We all experience shame. We're all afraid to talk about it. And, the less we talk about it, the more we have it.

When we come together to share authentic joy, hope, and pain, we melt the pervasive cynicism that often cloaks our better human nature. When we come together under the false flag of common enemy intimacy, we amplify cynicism and diminish our collective worth.

As children we found ways to protect ourselves from vulnerability, from being hurt, diminished, and disappointed. We put on armor; we used our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as weapons; and we learned how to make ourselves scarce, even to disappear. Now as adults we realize that to live with courage, purpose, and connection—to be the person whom we long to be—we must again be vulnerable. We must take off the armor, put down the weapons, show up, and let ourselves be seen.

fitting in is one of the greatest barriers to belonging. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.

the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, and joy. He