#287: Be Unapologetically You: Strategies to Step into Your Authenticity with Confidence & Courage

My friend I welcome you to episode 287.

What's up my friend and a welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

I am your host, Kevin Lowe. 20 years ago, I awoke from a life-saving surgery only to find that I was left completely blind.

And since that day, I've learned a lot about life, a lot about living, and a lot about myself.

And here on this podcast, I wanna share those insights with you.

Because friend, if you are still searching for your purpose, still trying to understand why, or still left searching for that next right path to take, we'll consider this to be your stepping stone to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

This week's prayer request is for a lady named Julie.

She is the friend of a future guest here on the podcast, Dr. Robin Hall.

You will get to hear her story later this summer.

But while I was talking to Dr.

Robin Hall, she told me about her friend, Julie, and Julie has been battling brain cancer.

And I would love it if we could all say a prayer right now for Julie, for healing, for comfort, for peace, for both her and for her family and friends.

When you're sick, it doesn't just impact you. No, it impacts everyone around you.

And so if you could say a prayer today for Julie, along with her family and friends, for comfort, for peace, for healing.

That would be absolutely amazing.

Now, before we continue, I do have to tell you about something that has been a total game changer for me. And that is my pillow.

I don't know if you are somebody who toss and turn at night.

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My pillow, they got more than just pillows, my friend. they will make your entire sleep routine a total amazement because they got sheets, they got comforters, they got pillows, they got everything and more.

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Go shopping today at MyPillow.com using promo code Kevin so that you can start sleeping a little bit better.

I want to kick off our talk today by sharing a really important truth that I want you to realize.

You are worthy of living a life that is authentic to you.

You do not need to make yourself become somebody different just to fit in or just to make somebody like you.

No, you really and truly are perfect just as you are.

The more that you try to fit in, the more that you try to become somebody different, the more you are setting yourself up for a life of disappointment.

Because if you want a life of fulfillment, if you want a life that lights you up, well, then you have to be living a life that is true and authentic to who you are.

Now, I understand that this isn't as easy as some may think.

Because the truth is, is that if you think about it, it.

We've kind of been ingrained in this idea of fitting in ever since we were kids.

I mean, my goodness, if you think back to elementary school, you always had to try to fit in with the crowd.

You either felt like you had to dress a certain way, you had to act a certain way, you had to pretend that you were into certain things just so that you could fit in.

Now, Now, back at home, when you weren't around those people, well, then you did the stuff that you really like to do. You were your true authentic self.

But while there in school, of course, you tried your best to fit in.

And that's how it was. Honestly, if you think about it all through school, maybe it even got worse in middle school and high school.

But then at some point, hopefully, you came to realize an important truth is that there There were actually more kids who were actually just like you, who liked the same stuff as you truly did.

And maybe you didn't have to keep pretending anymore. Maybe you didn't have to keep trying to be somebody who you weren't.

So I say that to say that what I'm talking about today, I understand is difficult.

It may be challenging. It may push you to the limit because maybe the relationships that you're in, friendships, relationships maybe they're not really true to who you truly are they're only true to the person that you've been trying to pretend you are trying to make yourself believe that you are but today my hope is to set the true you free.

To illustrate today's topic, I want you to think of the last big gathering you went to.

I'm talking about one where there's a lot of people. Maybe you didn't really know many people there.

And so you were just kind of mingling around, trying to fit in and find some people to relate to.

And most likely, while you were standing there, you probably heard some conversations going on of stuff that you probably didn't really agree with, believe in.

Maybe it was people telling certain jokes that you really didn't think were funny.

You thought they were kind of rude, but you found yourself laughing anyways because, well, you were just trying to fit in.

Maybe you're not really somebody who drinks alcohol and yet, well, everybody else is.

So you take a glass of wine and we may think that, well, that's just part of life.

It's how we always did it as kids. So it's how we do it as adults.

But what I'm here to do is to make you realize that, no, it doesn't have to be like that, that you don't have to make yourself fit in.

No, you can just be who you are and let that attract those people to you.

Don't feel like you have to conform to meet the group. No, you stand out.

You be the bright colored zebra in amongst of all the black and white zebras.

You be authentically you.

And amazingly enough is you may realize very quickly that you attract more who shed off that black and white zebra skin and transform it into a colorful zebra.

That's what we're talking about. about attracting more people to you who are just like you, not you pretending to be somebody different.

So the question you may be asking yourself is, okay, but how do I do it?

How do I get to the point where I can not try to fit in with the crowd, that I can be in search of people who are just like me?

Well, I believe it all starts by self-awareness.

Basically, understanding and realizing who you truly are, not the person you've been pretending to be.

Sometimes it seems like we may be pretending to be somebody else for so long that we almost convince ourselves that we are that person, that we do like this stuff.

But if you let yourself really think about things and really put your guard down, you'll start to discover who you really and truly are.

Are underneath all of that stuff that you've been pretending to be.

So I want you to understand what do you like?

What do you love? What lights you up? What brings you joy? What do you want out of life?

When you can get true with yourself and kind of light that flame that's been burned out for way too long of all the things that you really and truly do love, well, you might realize that you start to change a little bit.

You start to naturally no longer feel the need to fit in because, well, they are doing things that you don't agree with or that you're just not into. to.

You're into something different. And that's what we're talking about here.

We're talking about you getting true on who you are on the inside, so that then that propels itself on the outside, totally impacting your life.

Now, the truth of the matter is, is that self-awareness, that's just one part.

But what about the courage to actually do it?

It's easy to say that you're going to go against the grain, that you're going to do something different, that you're going to show up as your true self, but then actually having the courage to do so, well, that's a whole nother ballgame.

And that's where I want you to remember the idea of immediate action.

If you find yourself in a moment where you thought you were going to do it, you thought you were going to be who you are.

And yet now all of a sudden you find yourself being sucked into the same trap that you've done all your life.

I want you to literally take a pause, to take a breath, and I just want you to count.

Give yourself five seconds. Count down from five, five, four, three, two, one.

And I want you to act on who you truly are.

If you need to change directions, if you need to have that as your wake-up call of, hey, I'm not acting as my true authentic self, I want that to be the ignition switch that turns it on.

Like I said, it takes work, it takes effort, and it's not always going to be easy depending on the situation that you're in.

But the more you do it, the harder you try, the easier it will become.

And soon enough, it's just going to become second nature because after all, you're just being you. You're not having to pretend anymore.

One important thing to know is when we talk about authenticity, I want you to realize that that doesn't mean being perfect. I don't want you to mistake it for that.

It just means being true and being honest, not to anyone else, but to you.

That means you embracing who you are, your quirks, your funny little things that maybe people in your old circles have made fun of, have made you think, made you less than them.

Well, now that you're embracing who you are, those groups probably no longer fit you.

So I hope that you are attracting new people to your life.

You're finding people who do appreciate the person that you are.

They love the way you laugh.

They don't make fun of you when you crack up giggling when maybe it's not appropriate.

They love you for who you are because you are finally showing up as who you are.

And you know what's really kind of powerful about it is you'll probably notice it to be a bit of a chain reaction because when you start showing up as you, you'll probably start to notice others around you starting to show up as their true selves also.

Maybe you finally realize, you know what?

I really am tired of dressing just like everybody else.

When I really rather just put on a pair of blue jeans and head out for the night, I don't want to have to wear a dress.

So you know what? Do it. Show up as you.

Do whatever you want to do. And I guarantee you, you'll probably find the next time you go out, you might probably You'll probably see more ladies wearing blue jeans out than you ever had before.

It's like you being a trendsetter by simply being authentically you.

The most important message that I want you to come away with out of today's episode is the fact is true that you are absolutely perfect, amazing, simply irresistible, just as you are.

Are you never ever need to make yourself into somebody else no i want you to show up every day just as you are and i want you to do it for nobody else but you because you deserve to shine and you deserve to let the rest of the world experience you for who you are we've got way too many people pretending to be somebody they're not.

We need authenticity in today's world. And I want you to be the person to do it in your circle.

My friend, this is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration, the podcast helping you to look at life from a little bit different angle, constantly challenging the norm, having you flip the script, and hopefully impacting your life.

My name is Kevin Lowe. This is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Get out there and be authentically you.

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