The Power of U
On November 17, I discussed the topic of authenticity with Michael W. Connor – Founder of Understanding U. Michael is a life coach who, like me, navigated the corporate landscape and decided to leave to help others in the journey he had to go through himself.
This is a quick take on my Talk About It Tuesday interview, but you can still access the full video on my YouTube channel here.
Getting Lost
As we go through life, and find ourselves in new settings and situations; we mold and change ourselves to fit in the environment we are in at the moment. The more we do this, the more we grow apart from our true selves. If we are unaware of these adjustments, we can end up feeling lost and unclear about our own desires and way of doing things. In other words, we can end up down that dangerous path of satisfying the standards or expectations that others have for you – moving further away from self love, if we aren’t careful.
“I want to be able to tell my own narrative and not others tell that narrative for me.”
Micheal w. conner
Coming Back To Ourselves
Michael shares his experience of realizing this is what happened to him and how he put the standards of others aside and focused on his well-being and self discovery. As a self-described black man who is LGBTQIA and HIV positive he learned how to be in love with himself and admits that is a lifelong journey. #truth His story so resonates with my own – and was the reason I had to leave one of my jobs along the way – because I realized how far away I had gotten from myself in the throes of corporate culture and my bosses’ damaging expectations on who and what I should be.
Day by day, Michael continues to learn that being different is something that should be loved, not ashamed of. This love in turn, brings him more happiness which allows him to continuously uncover more power within. As someone who hated being “different” growing up, I fully appreciate this journey of embracing that uniqueness! Embracing all the parts of myself has been a process full of resistance, but I agree that is the way to tap into all my power. Michael you are speaking my language!!
YOUR Power Play
Authenticity is a complicated topic, but Michael is so spot on in his advice that you have to detach yourself from the labels others have given you. He believes this is the only way you have complete control of yourself. Michael adds that focusing on your own energy is everything. By not letting others impact your vibe (which is an ongoing process), you will be able to stand in your own power, regardless of the environment you are in. By taking your ball back, Michael ensures you will “be on top of your game, always.” What I love about this is that by standing in your power, you have an immense opportunity to impact the room – rather than it being the other way around.
The source for this image comes from: https://www.intercom.com/blog/importance-authenticity-sales/
Following Your Bliss
By coming back to your own energy, you are following your bliss. And I agree with Michael’s sentiment that following those things that light you up, will eventually lead you to rediscover who you truly are.
By laying down the heaviness of the opinions of others, it becomes easier to stay true to yourself – in any situation. This is not a journey towards perfection – which isn’t something that actually exists – but rather a journey back to yourself. This reminds me of the infamous study of the biggest regrets that people have as they end their time on earth; they wished they lived the life they wanted – not the one that others wanted them to.
So, cheers to following your bliss and discovering the Power of U. Thank you Michael for this powerful conversation!
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