Will people still like me if I am authentic?

We often doubt that if we are truly open and authentic we will lose our established connections with others. However, think about your current relationships and the way you have to bend or restrain yourself at times… Truth is when we let our true self surface – we naturally invite more candid relationships in our lives, where there is no need to impress, pretend, or please, but rather fully enjoy each other’s company.

When we try to adopt some learned tricks and artificial techniques persuading us that this is how a confident person is expected to speak, stand, or gesture, we still only pretend to be confident. However, it is not just us who feel both mentally and physically the unescapable lie as it drains us, people discern fraud subconsciously, on the energy level by capturing our bodies’ signals. Although they sometimes can’t quite put their finger on it, people get a feeling that something is off. That we are not who we say we are.

True confidence is born in a moment of presence, mental and physical. Presence is tangible. You are either fully present or you are not there at all. Same goes for your confidence. You also feel on the energy level when the other is present and confident. We say people who radiate presence fill the room, so it’s hard to not notice them. Presence opens doors to your true self and your intrinsic power. You feel safe in your vulnerability, yet curious, resourceful, and fully responsive, no matter what is going on out there.

The best thing is that the power of presence is contagious: it invites others to join freely and embrace their own exposure and thus unlimited resourcefulness.

Picture credits: pixaby.com