Live with Unguarded Authenticity

In 2019 I was given a gift of authenticity on  International Women’s Day. I attended the Ladies Talk Out Loud conference with many community members. The incredible Karen and Ladies Out Loud created the event. They are an authentic social group for women to learn, laugh, and live out loud. Click the link to see Ladies Out Loud’s upcoming events!

Each speaker had me intently listening as they shared their personal stories. The courage and passion of each speaker sharing their perspective, not from opinion but lived experience, was powerful. I definitely wouldn’t say I have a favorite from the day, but I will share the most impactful message.

A story of authenticity

Kiersten Mohr is a fellow resident of Airdrie, a mom, a wife, a Geoscience manager, and one hell of an authentic human being! She has a unique experience; her sharing allowed me to see her world and what so many people are experiencing. However, what stood out was what she wanted us to do with her story! You see, as she shared her experience from childhood, meeting the love of her life and raising children,—she shared her struggle to be herself.

To tell her story, Kiersten followed the hierarchy of needs, a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review. Maslow described the pattern of human motivation and that for us to reach each level, there needs to be a certain amount of internal motivation. Maslow’s Theory aims to attain the fifth level or stage: self-actualization. 

Here, Kiersten focused her message; she wanted more than for her story to be told. Her real message is that she wants us all to live our unguarded, authentic life.

Choosing to be authentically me

This is precisely what I’ve been trying to say in many of my last posts. And what struck me about what Kiersten was sharing was how powerfully she shared it. But also, one thing in particular that she said, “Be you, unguarded and authentically you.” WOW! Just wow!

Saying it and being it are different things. It takes courage—it takes trust and faith. It takes being raw with my emotions and feelings and not letting them stop me. Living authentically also means trusting that I am already everything I need to be. That I will make mistakes, and that is part of the journey. It means having faith, not in others as the source of my value, but having confidence in myself.

I had always believed that our self-expression was what we say or being able to speak up when it’s needed. But here is what I have learned. Our self-expression is more than what we say. It is how we are seen and our ability to be seen authentically!

Living with authenticity

So, every day, I get up and choose to be me. To be bold, to be unapologetic for who I am. I allow myself to be seen fully. To share when I’m struggling. To share my joy. As Maslow said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.”

I choose to ask for help when I need it. To say no when it isn’t a fit. I vow to take my masks off and be unguarded.

In the great words of Kiersten Mohr, as she ended her talk, she said: “I must love myself enough to take what I need from this world so I can give the world the best of myself.” Bang on, sister, bang on!