Living authentically is scary as hell– at first.

Not because something’s wrong with you…
but because the world taught you to be everything but yourself.

We were raised on “be nice,” “don’t make a fuss,” “fit in,” “keep the peace,” “don’t embarrass the family,” “don’t want too much,” “don’t shine too bright.” And don’t forget, “fix your face” if you dare to have an emotion or two and show it.

Baby, by the time you become grown?
You’ve learned to shrink so naturally you forget you’re even doing it.

So when you start living authentically — really showing up as the you God handcrafted — it feels like you’re walking outside naked with all the lights on.

Let Auntie explain why.

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1. Authenticity Feels Scary Because You’ve Never Met This Version of Yourself Before

Truth is…
you are reintroducing yourself to yourself.

And that takes time.

You spent years becoming who the world asked you to be.
Now you’re trying to become who your soul has been whispering about this whole time.

Of course it feels shaky.
Of course it feels new.
Of course you ask, “Is this allowed?”

Baby… not only is it allowed, it’s overdue.

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2. Authenticity Requires You to Put Down What Was Never Yours

Being real means dropping:

• the good-girl/ boy costume
• the strong-one mask
• the “I’m fine” script
• the people-pleasing survival gear
• the old identities that feel comfortable but suffocating

When you put those things down, you feel naked — but naked is not the same as unsafe.

Naked means honest.
Naked means free.

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3. Your Nervous System Isn’t Used to Peace

Whew, let Auntie say that again for the ones in the back:

Peace feels foreign when you’ve been living in survival mode.

Authenticity requires peace — inner peace, spiritual peace, “I don’t have to pretend anymore” peace.

But your body might not recognize that feeling yet.

It’s like switching from highway driving to a quiet dirt road.
You keep checking your mirrors because everything’s suddenly… calm.

That’s not danger, baby.
That’s healing.

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4. Authenticity Exposes Who’s Really For You

This is where it gets real grown.

When you start living honestly:

• Some folks won’t clap.
• Some folks won’t get it.
• Some folks liked the version of you who overgave and stayed quiet.

And that’s alright.

Authenticity does not ruin relationships — it reveals them.

And anything that falls away because you became truer was never going to hold you anyway.

That’s God’s protection disguised as distance.

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5. The Fear You Feel at First Turns Into Power Later

Baby, once you settle into your real self?

Whew.

You become:

• clear
• grounded
• intuitive
• unbothered
• magnetic
• brave
• joyful
• soft but strong
• relaxed but rooted

Authenticity is the kind of freedom that gets into your bones.
It shifts your voice, your walk, your choices, your boundaries, your whole energy.

You stop surviving.
You start living.
And folks can feel it when you walk in the room.

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Auntie’s Final Word

If authenticity feels scary right now… good.
It means you’re doing something real.
Something honest.
Something your future self will thank you for.

Because your soft, free, authentic life?
It’s not a dream.

It’s your birthright. 💛

 

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