Genuine (A to Z Challenge)

Posted on by under A-to-Z Challenge

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“Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier.  The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then do what you really need to do, in order to have what you want.” ~ Margaret Young

Is being genuine something you have or don’t have or is it a practice?

I believe being genuine is a choice we make every day where we show up and be real and honest.  We show our vulnerable side to others by letting our true selves be seen.  It’s a daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we really are.

There are people who consciously practice being genuine, then there are those who don’t and there are most people who are genuine on some days and not so genuine on others.  After all we’re human not robots, therefore we’re all made of strength and struggle.

It takes courage to allow ourselves to be imperfect, vulnerable and to set boundaries.  We need to live and love with our whole hearts even when we feel unworthy.  Being genuine isn’t always easy or the safe option.  Sometimes being real over being liked is about living outside your comfort zone.  When we do that, we are exposing ourselves to potential cruelty attacks but cruelty is cheap and hurtful whether it is true or not.  Yes there’s risk in putting your true self out there in the world.  But there’s even more risk in hiding yourself and your gifts from the world.  Our unexpressed ideas, passions, contributions don’t just go away, they gnaw at us from the inside out and at our worthiness.  If you decide to hide being genuine, you might feel anxious or even depressed which doesn’t get you very far.

Why would you want to sacrifice who you are for the sake of what other people think?

Maybe being genuine is contagious and if I’m brave enough to be genuine, it will inspire other people to be genuine too.  I mean let’s face it, if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve gotta walk the walk 🙂

 

Much Love ❤

Genuine Jen 😉
xo

 

16 thoughts on “Genuine (A to Z Challenge)”

  2. Wow Jenni.. Very inspirational..

    Being genuine takes lot of courage as it is being the real you rather than what people like us to be.

    But I think genuineness is being replaces with this plastic smiles which we have sticked. Instead of showing our vulnerabilities and defects we show these plastic smiles and pretend to be perfect.

    It is good to have a defect. No one is perfect. We all are looking for perfection. It comes by accepting ourselves the way we are.

    Very well written Jenni. I also hope to make Genuineness a habit. Have a great weekend.. 🙂

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    • Thank you for leaving such a beautiful comment Jackie. It’s true that many people hide their imperfections behind their fake smiles. I am a huge believer and supporter of our imperfections because that’s where our beauty is actually found. Perfection is non-existent so why would anyone strive for something that is invisible and doesn’t exist? I love people’s imperfections and I would much rather know more about them because that’s how we’re all connected. Glad to hear you like the word genuine 🙂

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      • You are always welcome Jenni. . Most of the people hide their imperfections because they are afraid of the outcome. . No one is perfect. . No one can be perfect. .

        Have a great sunday Jenni. . 🙂

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  3. it is true jeni….I have always felt this….but my parents just tell me one advice….dont make our neighbors speak…..I have felt miserable at times…..just escape or vanish….I can relate to your post///…….

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    • I can imagine your pain you are describing here. When we have a clash of values of who we want to be and what others want us to be it can bring these negative emotions out. I hope you can be as genuine as you want to be on your terms 🙂 ❤

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  5. I believe the most important thing that gets in the way of being genuine is the fear of rejection or being ridiculed of your flaws and imperfections.Accepting them as a part of your own uniqueness goes a long way in your emotional growth and strength.

    One of the bloggers that I read religiously is James Altucher.His phenomenal success is mainly due to his being completely vulnerable and honest in his blog posts about his imperfections and failures.Here is a portion from one of his blog posts:

    “I Admitted Failure.
    To be fair, I’ve been admitting this non-stop since 2010. I keep finding new ways to fail just so i can admit more of it.Before 2010, I was afraid to do it. I didn’t want people to think I was stupid. Nobody would ask me to go on TV ever again. Which is actually what happened.
    So what.
    Someone told me, “your mess is your message”.
    My mess has generated 1500 articles, 400 podcast episodes, about 10 books, an upcoming children’s book, and a dozen other opportunities. I’m no longer afraid of my mess now.
    So I’m going to repeat it:
    Your mess is your message.”
    source:http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/05/to-be-afraid-is-to-be-alive/
    I guess that drives the point home.Great post again Jennifer 🙂

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    • Thank you again Raja for your kind words and comments on my post. You are right in saying fear of rejection gets in the way of being genuine but that happens when we expect perfection. Beauty lies within our imperfections and vulnerabilities. I wrote 2 posts in this A to Z Challenge that talk about this very thing, if you want to see what I wrote for R and V, I would love to hear your thoughts too.

      That is an interesting quote “Your mess is your message” I believe this to be true and I’ll have to check out James Altucher’s work, that’s great. I appreciate you sending me the link. I’m really happy you like my blog. You must be new to WordPress, I’ve visited your blog but you must be building it because I didn’t see any posts yet. Hope you will write soon. Thank you again for your time and visit 🙂

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    • Hello again Raja, I read the link on James Altucher and wanted to tell you that I really like his approach and how he thinks. Thank you so much for introducing me to him and it’s very nice to meet you too. Have a great day! 🙂

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