authenticity

Unless I am myself, I am nobody

~ Fridgesays ~ Leave a comment

Virginia Woolf

Authenticity is one of the many things that makes you wonderful. Talents vary, interests unique – you are you and that in itself is precious.

I began this blog when my son was about nine months old and in hindsight I’d probably lost myself between career, homemaker and my new role as Mum. It makes sense that I sought a creative outlet, a place to be me, some where that I could voice my thoughts and dance to my rules rather than plan and prepare for others.

Life can move so fast that you can get caught in variations of yourself that don’t allow you to balance all of the aspects that make you happy. For some it’s hobbies that get boxed up due to work commitments, for others it’s suppressed emotions or family life that requires your full attention.

Dreams and whimsical notions are often the first things that we shed when life gets busy, but often they bring joy and hope for better versions of ourselves. Creative outlets can be hard to maintain and time with those that we love can sometimes get lost between mundane tasks…so what can we do?

Make a cup of tea, cut a slice of cake – if that brings you joy and grab some paper and a pen. Whilst you sip your tea write a list for things you are grateful for and in the next column write down a ‘to do’ list, not in this case the ‘pick up milk’ and chore type but the one that you’d like to do…the things you’d like to do, like to experience or have more time to do.

Next comes the hard part, making it happen. You don’t need to do the whole list overnight, in fact the list may take a life time and if you review it every few months, you may find your desires alter. What I can guarantee is that small shifts and being true to yourself will improve your quality of life.

Warning: being authentic to yourself is contagious and may increase your wellbeing, quality of life and health.

I reviewed my list at the start of the summer break and wrote down ‘drink more water’ – I know that I am happier when I’m hydrated but honestly sometimes I just forget to drink enough. To ensure this happened I made sure I drank from my glass bottle, kept it in the fridge between sessions and gave myself a goal that I could manage. Every time I reached for my water I was prioritising me and that in turn made me feel better about myself.

Another I did a little while ago was I started recording on instagram what I was reading. I just took photos of the covers and sometimes wrote a few words about the books to make me accountable, as last year I read less than previous years. Reading and making time for my imagination is never not a good thing and books are something that bring me a wealth of joy and sometimes knowledge too.

Unless I am authentic to the life I want to live, I can easily get swept in a life that mirrors those around me. The images online that the algorithm send me, the goals my friends have and I feel I should do too, progressing in my career in the same manner the person above me has…I need to check I am happy with my choices, the way I spend my time and with who. Unless I am myself…I am lost.

Are you aligned to your authentic self? you know him/her well when you lose track of time, feel content and aren’t always exhausted. If you look in the mirror and like who you see…

What’s yours will be yours

~ Fridgesays ~ Leave a comment

As an only child I grew up thinking everything was mine and all about me, if I’m honest not a lot has altered in four decades.

However, viewing the world through envy can often get the best of us, in a world skewered by social media filters, images of distant tropical lands be explored and pretty patterns on coffee floats somehow gloating ‘perfection has been achieved’. That said, I think envy and jealous moments are natural and can give us motivation to new goals or opportunities. I find it uncomfortable when the green eyed monster pops in for a cup of tea and I am mentally healthier if they are kept at a distance.

I recently saw a Instagram reel that said in 100 years nobody will know who you were on a personal level and in 200 years most people won’t be remembered at all. It went on to say that the house you work hard to pay for will belong to a new family, your possessions scattered amongst people you haven’t met or didn’t know, most in landfill… the post was intended to make me feel care free, less materialist and joyful of this new perspective. It honestly left me feeling hopeless and overwhelmed with a ‘what’s the point attitude’ however, as we move into the season of materialism and Christmas overwhelm we can easily be affected by what others have, the need to keep up and the focus on what matters can be shadowed by excessive Christmas lights and the smell of cinnamon.

It’a easy to write that material objects don’t matter, that when you die – you cant take them with you but at the same time it’s wonderful to receive a parcel wrapped up with you in mind. What do we do?

Like usual, we balance the things that matter to us. Perhaps your neighbours have a better house, your brother drives a newer car with a higher specification than you…if cars and houses aren’t your thing and you like to travel, put your focus on travel and hope that your car starts in the morning. If you care about your appearance, if shopping and having beauty treatments brings you joy – do this. What’s yours is meant for you. Everything else and everything that everyone else has is just a distraction. A distraction from your authenticity.

In relationships I strongly believe if you’re meant to be together then you’ll both put in the effort that is needed, if only one of you wants the relationship the other ‘fighting for’ it will only suffocate the process. Remember sometimes we think we want something and there is often something better to come. You don’t have to fight for what’s yours.

Instead let me lend you my only child ‘leading lady’ attitude. Focus on yourself, work towards goals that mean something to you and not because you’re trying to keep up with your peers. Congratulate those around you when they achieve what they desire, but just because number 22 has new windows doesn’t mean you need to follow suit. By focusing on yourself and your goals you’ll find that you can materialise the experiences, feelings and targets that mean something to you much more efficiently.