My new favourite person, Vulnerability and Shame researcher, Brené Brown has a great mantra for being your true, authentic self:
“Do not shrink. Do not puff up. Just stand in your sacred ground.”
In essence, this is just about being who you are, no matter what the situation; no matter who you’re with.
I find this particularly useful in social situations, when I’m guilty of both shrinking – of minimizing my triumphs and achievements so as not to appear ‘braggy,’ or simply because I find the spotlight uncomfortable – and puffing up, whereby I will hear myself boasting, exaggerating even… when my ego kicks in and I feel the need to shout louder, to hide the insecurities beneath.
As I’m facing an increased volume of social situations this festive period, I’ve decided to borrow Brené’s mantra;
to stand in my sacred ground;
to remind myself that I am enough, just as I am.
Anxious-Ambition.com 