The Oxford Dictionary for authentic, “of undisputed origin; genuine.”Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as 1) not false or imitation 2) true to one’s own personality, spirit or character. Being one’s authentic self is thus being our true genuine self to ourselves and to others.
No, big deal right? For years in professional lives no matter if we worked in an office or on an assembly line, we are put into situations where we must adhere to rules of “work culture” of following the written rules and, more importantly, the unwritten ones from meeting production goals to how we interact with others. Even with one lifetime employer or a few place of employment, we had to give in or not reveal our true selves in order to work and to avoid harassment. Some are able to be truly genuine throughout their careers and have flourished.
When a person retires, one may say that “I have given my life towards the company and this is what I got,” or “I changed myself to fit it to make it easier on myself at work without being singled out,” truthfully, I heard both from on both white collar and blue collar employees.
One of the reasons for retirement is that it allows the individual to live the rest of his/her life how that person feels most true and genuine to him/herself. Authentic.
Personally, I have made adjustments to follow work culture to not be harassed for being a “free spirit,” but after work is when I have allowed my genuine self to shine by doing what I love of laughing with lifetime friends on Facebook, selling clothes on a closet app, hanging out with felines Bella and Luna (more on them later), and traveling to areas of the country which I have never been like Connecticut and Providence RI plus most of Texas.
For the rest of your years, I hope that you can be your authentic self and live peacefully and joyfully. Break free from the mold with your retirement or in your time away from work. Be authentic.
Thank you,
Leslie Elizabeth David.
The Magnificent Modern Mature Woman 