One of the first steps in becoming an authentic leader is to understand and know who you are.

According to our Great Religions and great leaders throughout history, you and all of humanity are created in the image and likeness of that which created you. To keep it simple, I will refer this Essence of Creation-God; however, feel free to call it what you will. In many of the Great World Religions, God is defined as love; therefore, the Essence of who we are is love. Therefore, anything within us and projecting from us that is not LOVE is a LIE. We are called to live in Truth; therefore, we must rid ourselves of the lies in which we surround ourselves and dwell.

Six of these lies which we seem to identify ourselves by are:
1. I am my thoughts.
2. I am my body.
3. I am my possessions.
4. I am what I produce.
5. I am my reputation.
6. I am my people, family, friends. . .

All of these identity statements, negate who we are and actually drive us further away from our True Identity. Think about this, if any one or all of these things where taken away, would you still exist? Think about people suffering from Alzheimer’s, they have lost their memory of all that was important to them, yet, they still exist. Think about people who have lost all bodily functions, they still exist.  Have you known people who have lost all of their possessions, their careers, their reputations, friends and families? Do they still exist?

In order to be an Amazing Authentic Leader, you must first rid yourself of your false identity-your lies.

A friend of mine suggested that we write, “It’s a LIE!” on our mirrors to remind us that anything other than LOVE that we see in the mirror is a lie. This is a powerful exercise which I recommend. It will help you to look beyond your physical state and see your truth. I take this exercise it a bit further in that I see all of life as a mirror. Everything, everyone, every situation is a reflection of who I am being. If I am angry, fearful, etc. my entire life reflects that to me and my life is a struggle. However, if I am being my highest self-Love, I tend to see only Love and kindness in my life.

Our sole purpose in life is to live fully as LOVE. In so being, we make wise choices that focus on the highest good for all of humanity and creation. With being love as our focus, life seems to flow forward with ease and grace and expansiveness. However, when fear takes over, suffering, hate and pain take over. Think about your role as a leader, now think about employees, situations, clients and objectives through the filter of Love. What happens, how do you feel? Now do the same exercise through the filter of judgment, fear and discontent, what happens?

Practice being LOVE. If you are unsure what that looks like, visit 1 Cor. 13 in the Bible, there you will find a great definition. In so doing, your world, life and business will transform and you will experience a life of ease and grace.

It’s something to consider, Becky J. Benes

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