The start of this month again found me feeling like I am done with this word. And yesterday these thoughts were firmly in my head as I sat down to try and scrabble together a blog post… and surprise, surprise! Ten months in and I found I still have things to learn in my quest for authenticity.
At least that is what I discovered when I sat down and looked back over my journal writing this month… and the month before… and the month before that…and all the way back to January when I began this journey.
Pro tip… if you are feeling done… stuck… at the end… go back and read your journey… if you think you have learned nothing this will show you clearly just how much you have learned, how much you have put into practice, how much things have changed!
Gentle Readers… it seems that I have (finally!!) cultivated the habit of authenticity. A Will Durant quote sort of fit perfectly for this month… that is once I tweaked it a bit and it will be my mantra next month!
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence Authenticity, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Yes, I think this is the month that authenticity has become a habit! And that is such a very good thing. The biggest thing I noted was the absence of the “fake it until you make it” attitude with myself… i.e. those days when I am not authentic with myself.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I do not think there is anything wrong with “faking it until you make it”… it works for so many things! But there is something very wrong with it if my modus operandi is faking it to myself… I have found that being authentic does not have a negative effect on my attitude, but rather a profoundly positive impact. It means taking Rilke’s idea of living the question… and actually doing that. No fake answers… being okay with just authentically living… and maybe… just maybe I will discover, as Rilke did, that I will eventually live into the answers…uncertainty and all!
I would like to thank Carolyn for holding this space for us. Please stop by and see how everyone did this month!
I will see you all back here on Wednesday for some unraveling.
As I age, Authenticity becomes more critical in living a well lived life. I am shedding old habits, trying new ones to see if they are helpful. Congratulations on your authenticity journey and thank you for sharing it with us.
Congratulations on your journey Kat – sounds like it has been a good one!
Beautiful post, Kat. I have felt much the same way about my word this year. But . . . seeing it closer to being “whole,” I think it’s been a profound word for me. It has certainly got me thinking about things i wouldn’t normally associate with my particular word. I usually find that these words just have a way of worming around in our heads . . . if we let them. XO
I’m also sending congratulations on your authentic journey!
I always think that the goal of any OLW is to fully make it part of your life, beyond the year you focus on it. And if Authenticity has become a habit, even before the year is out, then it’s bound to continue to be part of your life. Bravo!
That’s a wonderful mantra and it seems like something you can carry forward as you end your year with this word – but not your work with this word.
What a lovey journey you are sharing with us. As I age, authenticity seems more and more relevant. It is also good to be reminded to “live the questions.” There are a lot of questions these days.
What a great idea to look back and see your progress. You have to be true to yourself First and foremost. Feeling happy for you.
I’m glad that your word surprised you this month, Kat. And it’s such great advice to go back and follow our journey with our words from the beginning. Sometimes I feel like I just go in circles, but even if my circle broadens just a tiny bit then I’m making some sort of progress, I guess.
I think the fact that your word has become habit, well — that’s IT! I’ve been thinking about your post. Inevitably, when I talk to people about One Word, there’s the question, “Do you really have to stick with it the WHOLE YEAR?” (Or what about changing to a new word partway through the year, etc.) And I think you make the point for it here so beautifully. I’m so happy for you. (And I’m kind of excited what your next word will be.)