Light your Fire! Authenticity and Identity.

I’d like to invite you this time on the theme of
Being yourself!  To be authentic.

What does it actually mean?
To be pure, genuine, and real.

Maybe you have heard the famous quote of Oscar Wilde:
“JUST BE YOURSELF. EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN.”

When are you totally yourself?
Totally authentic?
Are you like that all the time?

or
Are you adapting and editing yourself depending on where or with whom you are?
Just showing parts of yourself that you consider acceptable for the situation?

Are you living your life in an authentic way?
Often enough?

Yes, it’s a big question!
And an opportunity to reflect upon…

Let me tell you a story:

It is summer. Tango festival. Campsite.
Phantastango.
Four a’ clock at night.

I am asleep in my tent like a hamster in a cave…
Many nights of dance and joy before called for a night of sleep and repose…

That was the plan.-)
I wake up – Milonga tunes!

The music is irresistible…
I peel myself out of the sleeping bag, my body carries me to the dance floor

No tart up – no makeup, no fancy shoes, no sexy dress – no prep time-)
Instant happiness in (red!) pyjamas …the music dances me
and out of nowhere, a dancing partner appears:

Music, flow, joy, connection.
Just like that.

Magic!
What happened?

I did not think. I did not plan. I was in the moment.
My body -and the music ! took care of me.

I was myself.
No-one else in the pyjamas.-)
Pure, genuine, and real.

The story is as real as I am.
There are many times when I forget about the joy and the spark that lives inside of me.
Worries (inside blockage) and circumstances (outside blockage) can blur the vision and trouble the access to that intrinsic joy of life.

How is that for you?

Do you have enough moments of play and unedited fun?
What lights your fire?

Small kids and animals all have that spark and joy of life
just like that because they are happy to be on the planet!

They don’t care about editing themselves and fitting into the situation
just like I did not care about makeup or heels when I crawled out of my tent and stumbled in my pyjamas onto the milonga dancefloor
To be authentic means to dare to show yourself.
The full spectrum:

Do you live your joy?
Do you let out your anger?
Do you feel your sadness?

Are you in touch with your feelings?
and if so – do you show them?

WARNING:
Obviously, it’s not always useful to bluntly show your feelings to everybody in all situations.
It’s a dance in itself to choose when to show and when not!

The good news is that you can develop the ability to consciously deal with your emotions.
Rather than being a slave to the situation where you feel you have to edit yourself or you get overwhelmed…

You can choose to embrace your feelings
You choose the dance!

If you are curious to dive deeper into that, look here.
I wish you many moments of authentic connection, with yourself and others!