Beyond the Mask: Are You Living a Divided Life or Living Authentically? Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of this look at authentic living.

(If you missed Part 1, you can read it HERE.)

Before we continue on with #5 of the 5 truths of authentic living, let’s do a quick review, shall we?

In Part 1, we defined that authentic living means aligning your daily choices, relationships, and direction in life with your identity and values. For people of faith, it also means living in a way that reflects how God uniquely created us. (Our true and full identity.)

An authentic life is not about perfection, and it’s not about doing whatever feels right in the moment. It’s about integrity…bringing your inner convictions and your outward actions into agreement.

When that alignment begins to happen, something powerful follows. Clarity increases. Decisions become easier. And the time and energy that once went into maintaining appearances...becomes available for something WAY more awesome: purpose, peace, and momentum.

Next, I listed four of the five truths about authentic living:

1. Living a divided life is exhausting, but authenticity restores integrity…not just morally, but structurally.

It brings your inner life and outer life back into agreement. And when that happens, something powerful returns.

Peace.

2. That by hiding your strengths as much as your struggles, you’re also suppressing what God has placed inside you, which does NOT create safety. It creates stagnation.

Authenticity means allowing both sides of your humanity to be seen: the areas where you are still growing and the areas where you are clearly gifted.

Both belong in living authentically.

3. And while your inner critic may speak loudly…it isn’t always speaking truth. In fact, it rarely offers clear direction. It simply casts doubt, creates hesitation, produces paralysis, and tries to keep you small.

Scripture tells us that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33).

When the Holy Spirit brings conviction, it is specific and purposeful. It points toward growth and restoration. This is how truth challenges you, AND this is how it guides you.

Living authentically means walking in truth.

4. By the time you reached adulthood, many of your “shoulds” were already handed to you. Over time, these “shoulds” become so familiar that we stop questioning them, and they eventually become our “buts.” You know…those ‘reasons” that stop us from moving forward.

But here’s the thing: you were created with specific strengths, to have a variety of experiences, and to use unique perspectives that shape how you do the work you’re meant to do in the world. Yaas!!!

Living authentically requires stepping back and asking bold questions:

“Am I living from my calling…or someone else’s expectations?”

“Am I BEing in my doing…or just DOing?”

One side leads to authentic living.

The other side does not.

Sometimes rediscovering alignment feels like crossing a new bridge…from obligation into purpose. Hey...that's a real thing! And believe me…it’s one I encourage!

Authentically is how you’re meant to walk that bridge daily.

And that brings us to…

5. Authentic Living Requires Courageous Alignment

Authenticity isn’t achieved through a single decision. Like…”Oh...I’m going to be authentic.” That’s only the first step.

THEN it’s about BEing through a series of small realignments over time. Daily decisions. Daily actions.

That process begins internally.

Once you know who you are, the first step is to identify the beliefs that have quietly shaped your choices. Some of them are true and life-giving. Others may have been limiting you without your awareness, and life-draining.

Then you begin replacing what is false with what is true.

I’m not talking about just quotes, or mantras, or uplifting talks or books.

In fact, the absolute best way I know to do this is…with Scripture.

Scripture tells us to watch over our heart with all diligence, because from it flows the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23).

You can't do that by pretending everything is alright, or focusing on being perfect. It’s about intentionally anchoring your thinking and aligning your actions…in truth. Guarding them with truth.

This might include simple, yet powerful practices like:

• Naming the lies you’ve been believing
• Replacing them with truth grounded in Scripture
• Writing down evidence of your growth and strengths
• Inviting trusted people to speak honest encouragement into your life

But you must keep walking. And keeping that authenticity going requires community.

Too many times, we see ourselves through a distorted lens…either too harsh or too modest. Wise community helps reflect the truth we sometimes overlook…or ignore.

I’m not talking about people who are always going to agree with you…but challenge you. Not those who find the fault…but seek the good.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

In other words, the right relationships don’t just affirm you…they help refine you.

Authenticity includes that refinement as part of the journey across that bridge toward becoming who you were created to BE.

Love it!

Let’s Go Deeper

At some point, most people sense there is more beneath the surface of their life:

More clarity.
More purpose.
More alignment.
More peace.
More joy.

But recognizing that requires reflection. It also requires looking AND living deeper. Like understanding the massiveness of an iceberg, which is said to have 90% of it's volume below the surface.

But unlike an iceberg, what you're carrying beneath the surface isn't hazardous. It's vital. Critical to your life and the lives of others. It's needed for living out your purpose in a way that's natural and beautiful. Authentic.

Whew. So glad you're not an iceberg! So...why live like one?

So…let’s pause for a moment.

Ask yourself this honest question:

“What part of who I truly am has been sitting quietly below the surface of how I’m living?”

Is it a calling you’ve postponed?

A gift you’ve ignored?
A talent you've minimized?

A direction you’ve sensed but haven’t pursued?

Bringing those things above the surface...into the light...can feel intimidating. I get it. I’ve been there!

But most of the time, it's one of the first steps toward choosing the clarity and peace people are searching for. This is a deep level of awareness.

And it's where we all need to go.

When you're going deep...it's best to do so with wisdom. That's a gift, by the way. And you can also tap into the wisdom of others you trust...with truth. 😉

So where does the mask come in?

Persona vs. Character. The Protection Displaced.

We create a "Persona"…an external mask…to hide our flaws or blemishes. But our "Character" is the essence of who we are.

When the Persona leads your life, you can almost bet that at some point…you’ll enter a state of the dreaded stagnation.

Living through a Persona wastes a TON of energy on protection…protecting your feelings and internal fears. Not showing up as the "real" you.

You restrict your expression of who you truly are, which ultimately stagnates or even kills your growth and development. Not cool.

Ah...but the secret to "living life from the inside out" is making Character primary. When you’re walking in Character, you’re not protecting a version of yourself that isn’t real. You’re reclaiming your ability to “guard your heart and mind" with truth, and use that energy for your growth. Your forward movement. Your purpose.

Oh what JOY! I'm just sayin. 💜

What would it feel like to you, if you could wake up every day...grateful for who you are, confident in your identity, knowing where your identity comes from, AND knowing how to walk that out? Without putting on the mask?

Hmmm. 🤔

😊

The Continual Process of Becoming

Authenticity isn’t about perfection.

It’s about alignment.

And alignment is where momentum begins…and continues.

Authenticity is not a destination. It is a continual process of becoming. BEing....daily.

So if you're thinking you just need to speak your mind, let your light shine, be bold, be visible, be brave...etc...you're missing the point. Maybe even the mark.

You're trying to DO life a certain way. Your way. That's not authentic living.

You won't be able to sustain that mindset and those actions in every life area...long-term. Before you know it, you're living one way here, and another way there...still not understanding all that you are...inside vs out.

Living authentically means ending the exhaustion of living a divided life and finally choosing to step into who you were created to BE!

It requires removing the mask of Persona, and the influences of culture and your own critic.

The peace of an authentic life is a reason to say, "Yes!" to discovering and BEing…who you truly are!

Crossing the Bridge into Authentic Living

When I experienced this kind of alignment in my own life, it started with discovering a huge part of my identity…my talents. Not the fun things I learned as a kid. Not the skills I learned as an adult.

I’m talking about the way I was created. The specific talents God created within me…that I was free to develop into strengths. Strengths that I could use in every life area to live. Like…LIVE!

And the fact that they were so unique to me…made total sense. 💡

And one day, during a training on identity…I understood why some didn’t “get” me, even though they loved me.

I understood why some could see things in me I couldn’t see for myself.

I understood why sometimes I acted a certain way, that wasn’t always the best…but still a part of me. I just wasn’t aware of how I was using it, and that it could be used…better.

FINALLY!! 🔥

And all of this was actually more than a light bulb moment. It was a gift. It was like a lightning bolt…of joy. ⚡🎁🙌🏽

There were tears. Like…I made sense! LOL

(The pastor teaching looked at me…and smiled. He knew.)

That was such a beautiful journey for me. Like...a bridge moment...or five. LOL

I got me, because God got me, because He created me! Uniquely and powerfully…I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works....

But it doesn't stop there!

...which God prepared WAY beforehand, so that I would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

I mean!! That's the kind of truth I want to walk in. 🚶🏽‍♀️

And it takes ALL of me to walk that out. That’s living authentically. JOY-Fully.

That experience is what eventually led me to create my ALIGN JOY-Full Living process.

This isn't a course. It’s a simple but powerful discovery and coaching framework that helps people discover the different facets of who they truly are…AND how to live from that identity every day.

Because authenticity isn’t just about self-discovery, and plastering that everywhere. Nope.

It’s about living it out:

in your relationships
your health
your business
your spiritual walk
your environment
your finances.

Authenticity changes how you show up everywhere, when your authenticity is rooted in your full identity. AND...you begin to make best choices, take best actions, take better care of yourself, help others better...with confidence.

This is wellness! This is well-being! This is fulfillment!

And...breathe.

Here’s what I know to be true

Many people show only a tiny tip of their identity, while the majority of who they are remains submerged. Like an iceberg. And that can be hazardous. Like an iceberg.

Consider living more like...maybe...a peacock! 🦚 Yep. (I know. That looks like a tree. But you get the picture. LOL)

When you finally realize all that you are...you can silently, yet brilliantly spread those feathers to reveal a creation that gets attention without even saying a word. Just...BEing. Beautiful.

If that's you...maybe it’s time to uncover all that you are. 😎