The First Step to Success is Being True to Yourself

31 Dec 2013

This past weekend as I was reading through different blog posts I found through Facebook, I came across this article by Paul C. Brunson: Above All, Live Your Truth.  I enjoy reading Paul’s articles, but this one really resonated with me. He talked about how he was advised to never talk about, or refer to his spirituality. His mentor explained to him that “it would limit my audience by alienating the many who didn’t align with my views.” He explained in his article that he ignored this advice, and then immediately saw that his mentor was correct: he was alienated, ridiculed and criticized simply for expressing his authentic self.

So as most people would do out of fear (especially as a new business owner), he stopped and went the next full year without saying or writing anything publicly about his faith.

Check out how three simple words put Paul back on the road to being true to himself, and enjoying the well-deserved success that came with it (read the full article here).

This is what I shared on his Facebook page in response to this article:

“God has already set aside an audience specifically for you. I was told the same exact thing when I first started blogging but realized how “fake” I felt when I chose to suppress my faith. This reminded me that my message is not for everyone. But for the people who need and want my message, God will find a way for us to cross paths.”

The dictionary defines authentic as: not false or copied; genuine; real. Does this truly define who you are and what you do?

I distinctly remember making the decision to start a blog, and my first post was entitled, “Trust God, NOT Your Fears.” It was a complete leap of faith. In fact, everything I’ve done in the last two years since leaving the workforce has been an absolute walk of faith. So it only felt natural for me to share that in my blog. But like Paul, I too, was told that I should limit and stay away from talking about God and spirituality because not everyone who is reading my blog will have the same beliefs.

So I pulled back a bit initially, and that’s when I struggled with what to write. That’s when I struggled with my message and really trying to figure out my purpose. While I didn’t go too long in this direction, it was long enough for me to take a few steps back and really evaluate who I was and who I didn’t want to be — a fake. My daily prayer is that everything I say and everything I do will be a blessing for others. And like Gabrielle Douglas said: When the praises go up, the blessings come down!

Being true to yourself is not just a saying, but a way of life. I truly believe it opens the doors of success because it allows you to be richer in all areas of life — spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.

How have you handled situations where you were asked to compromise your authenticity?

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This guest post was written by Christine St.Vil is a FLY mom expert & CEO of Moms ‘N Charge™. A happy wife to an amazing hubby of 8 years, and homeschooling mother of three, she teaches moms how to FLY (First Love Yourself). She uses her corporate background to work with women who are ready to start a new business, accelerate their career growth & design a life they love. She's on a mission to help moms to battle the mom guilt epidemic, so they can begin to put themselves first on their never-ending list of priorities. Sign up at MomsNCharge.com for her FREE audio: The Truth About Mom Guilt: 3 Tips to Getting Over it so You Can FLY (First Love Yourself).

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