11:11 Waves Blog 48: Authentic

Every Monday, I share 1 question for you to contemplate, 1 idea from me, 1 quote from others, and 1 inspiration for us.

This week’s topic is: Authentic

Each year, the famous American dictionary-publishing company Merrian-Webster publishes a list called “words of the year”. These word lists started in 2003 and feature ten words from the English language that have been determined by analyzing page hits and popular searched to its website. Last week, the 2023 list was published and “authentic” was selected as the official word of the year 2023. Authentic saw a substantial increase of searches in 2023 driven by stories and conversations about artificial intelligence, social media, identity, celebrity culture etc. Authentic has a number of meanings in the dictionary including “not false or imitation” and it is a synonym of “real, actual, true”. In my opinion, authenticity is the highest state of being that one person can achieve. In our current society and environments, authenticity is so often lost to keep up the status quo, jobs, friendships, relationships. So, how can one get back in touch with their own authenticity and live more authentic lives?

One Question for you

In a world that often encourages conformity and masks, there is immense power in embracing authenticity.

Discuss the question here.

One Idea from me

This week I share one practice, one concept and one challenge to explore how to be authentic and live in a state of authenticity.

The practice: We can only be authentic to the degree that we currently know ourselves and are aware of ourselves. Living in a state of authenticity starts with self-awareness and reflection. To help with this, this week I invite you to spend some time in the morning and in the evening and reflect on the following questions:

In the evening: What did you do today that was fully authentic? How did it leave you feeling? What did you do today that was not authentic? What led you to this?

In the morning: What opportunities for authenticity will you create for yourself today? What situations will you come across today what will tempt you not to be authentic? How will you go about this?

The concept: Carl Jung, the renowned Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, explored the concept of authenticity extensively. According to Dr. Jung, in order to be authentic, it is crucial to go through an “individuation process”, the process by which individuals become more fully themselves. Individuation involves differentiating oneself from conformity with collective values, social norms, beliefs and behaviours. The process includes the ability to choose the values by which one will live instead of just living based on collective standards in an unreflective and unconscious way. The individuation process leads one closer to the person they are meant to be, with both a sense of awareness and a sense of wholeness.

The challenge: Most people have a number of different roles professionally and in their personal lives. For example, you may be a leader to your team, a colleague, a friend, a team member, an expert to your clients, a family member. Authenticity does not mean being rigid or inflexible. It does not mean you have to act the same in each role. Authenticity means being true to yourself no matter what role or situation you are in. This week, I invite you to live each of your roles authentically. Each day this week, reflect on one of your roles and explore the following question: Is there any incongruence between your outer self and inner self when you are in “x” role? If the answer is “yes”, take some time to dig deeper and notice what comes up for you. Select a new role every day and continue with this exercise. Remember: authenticity is when your inside matches your outside, no matter the role.

One Quote from others

“But above all, in order to be, never try to seem.” Albert Camus

One Inspiration for us

This week I share a great video developed by the YouTube Channel: Philosophies for Life. This clip explains how to navigate the “individuation process” identified by Carl Jung to live in a state of authenticity. I love how this video takes a very complex concept and breaks it down in a very accessible and simple to follow animated clip. Enjoy!