Let’s get honest for a moment: are you truly being yourself when you communicate with the world? Whether you’re at work, with your family, or even just sitting alone with your own thoughts—are you the real you?
You might be tempted to say, “Of course I am! I tell people exactly what I think and I don’t care what they say.” But look closer. If your “authenticity” comes from a place of frustration, anger, or defensiveness, that’s not your true self. That’s just a reaction to an inner conflict. When you are truly connected to your core, you don’t need to be aggressive to be heard. You are at peace.
The Power of Putting Yourself First
When you find that connection to your deeper self, an amazing shift happens: you naturally maintain your inner peace, even in a high-pressure work environment or a heated conflict.
You stop compromising. Not in a stubborn way, but in a way that honors your values and how you feel about yourself. You naturally start putting your mental and emotional well-being first. Why? Because once you’ve found the real you, the idea of pretending to be someone else becomes exhausting and unnecessary.
How Your Boss and Clients Sense Your Worth
In your professional life, this change creates what I call a “miracle.”
When you stop pretending, the people around you—your boss, your colleagues, your clients—instinctively feel that you aren’t afraid. Because you aren’t belittling yourself in your own mind, they stop belittling you in reality.
They will actually start to cut you some slack. We all have areas where we lag behind or make mistakes; nobody is perfect. But there is a massive difference between these two approaches:
- The Insecure Approach: You make a mistake and immediately project remorse and insecurity. You essentially tell the world, “I’m not worthy, please judge me.” People pick up on that instinctually and will often play into it, making you feel even worse.
- The Authentic Approach: You acknowledge you are a “work in progress.” You see your faults, but you refuse to belittle yourself for being human.
Being at Peace in the Eye of the Storm
It is incredible how a lack of worthiness repeats itself in every area of your life until you address it. It’s like a broadcast signal that everyone else is tuned into.
But when you find yourself, the “miracles” start. You can be in the middle of a corporate “storm”—layoffs, deadlines, or office drama—and remain calm in the center of it.
The secret is simple but profound: Others will start to mirror the emotion you feel toward yourself. If you appreciate yourself, the world has no choice but to follow suit.
