Now that I’ve begun to send out a newletter, I’m making a bit of a change to this blog. The posts will alternate…one week, a longer post–the alternating week, a “Feisty Woman’s Power Tip.” Here’s this week’s Power Tip.
“We are the same people we were at three, six, ten, or twenty years old. More noticeably so, perhaps at six or seven, because we were not pretending so much then.” Agatha Christie
If how you present yourself is not congruent with who you are deep within you, you won’t come across as authentic—and people will sense it. In today’s world, authenticity trumps perfection, and sharing who you really are enables you to create connection.
Do you find yourself spending some of your energy censoring yourself, editing yourself, or trying to fit in with someone else’s notion of who you ought to be? It’s time to let that go! 
Whether you are connecting with one person at a networking event, or connecting with an audience of hundreds when giving a speech, the more “you”, the more real, the more authentic you are, the more power that connection will have.
So embrace your true essence—and give the world the gift of the “true you.” Your connections will be so much more powerful!
© 2011 Feisty Woman Productions
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Comments
Ava,
This message was SO timely for me. As we share more authentically who we are, we can ruffle feathers. I just need to remember that my purpose in life isn’t about tiptoeing around others, it’s in living fully who *I* am! That’s where I serve myself and those who need the message from my experience! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Best,
Tiffany
So true, Tiffany! And it makes me so sad when women don’t realize this.
Sorry it took me so long to respond to your comment…somehow it got lost in all the spam
But what happens if at the place where you work they end up labeling critical thinkers or those who are completely themselves as “challenges” rather than celebrating the unique perspectives they bring?
I ask this more for a friend who is facing some of this at work right now, but also in general. Does that mean it’s time to make a change? Certainly she needs to evaluate how much of herself is appropriate for the workplace, but everything that I’ve seen or heard, if you really knew her, would not seem out of character or inappropriate.
I’m hoping for some thoughts as I process her predicament!
Heather
I think we all have to make choices, Heather. If her workplace is causing her to suppress her true self, there are a couple of problems. The first is, she has to hold back who she is, and has to self-edit. That’s fine occasionally–we all have to know our audience and style flex to a certain extent. But it it’s an all day, every day event, we’re probably in the wrong place or with the wrong people.
The second is, that her employer is losing out on a lot of creativity and innovation if people have to self-censor all the time, and are reluctant to share ideas that go beyond the status quo.
So it’s lose/lose. Lose for your friend. Lose for the organization.
Your friend has to look at the big picture, and decide how much of herself she’s willing to compromise to stay where she is.
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