Andrew Thorn – The Authentic Me
Dr. Andrew Thorn provides behavioral based leadership strategies to individuals who are seeking to bring their personal and professional responsibilities into full harmony. His clients achieve more, become more and experience balanced growth for their own benefit, and for the benefit of the people they lead.
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The Authentic Me
Just over a year ago, I made a commitment to post to this blog every business day. I mentioned at the time that I my purpose for writing is to raise my own personal bar so that I can become the best me.
I write so that I can make meaning out of what is going on around me. These entries are special to me, because they give me the opportunity to be open and authentic with everyone; even the many readers that find their way here who do not know anything else about me.
When I began, this was a very scary experience for me. It was easy to share the real me with people I have never met, but I felt very vulnerable opening myself up to those closest to me. I knew that some had never seen the real me, and it felt extremely risky to put my innermost thoughts, my insecurities and the growing pains I experience on display every day.
Thankfully, it is paying huge dividends. I feel more alive now than ever before. My openness in this space is making it so much easier for me to be open in person. My ability to be open is leading to even greater connections with those around me.
Ulterior Motives
It takes a lot of time and focus to write these posts. Sometimes, they are very lengthy. I find it difficult to bring the meaning that I am seeing to light in a few sound bites or short paragraphs.
The typical reader may not be willing to invest the necessary time to get through my posts, but I am not looking for the typical reader. In all honesty, you must be present and participatory in order to really benefit. My posts are meant to be just as much of a gift for you as they are for me. To really receive this gift, you will need to see this as an opportunity to reflect and make meaning out of your own life.
I believe, that by knowing me and by seeing me, you will begin to know and see yourself. It is my dream that my courage to be open with you will give you the courage to be open with yourself and others.
I write in the first person hoping that you will eventually begin to hear your own voice instead of hearing mine. I dream that these posts will somehow evoke in you a desire to raise your own personal bar. I dream that by giving you an opportunity to see the real me, as an imperfect and sometimes struggling person, you will begin to feel strengthened in your personal struggles and imperfections.
There is no need for me to feel guilty or ashamed about the fact that “sometimes I am an less than the perfect me”, because I know that sometimes we all fall short. My ability to admit and process my feelings about it in front of your eyes may help you see who you really are and how the things around you really are effecting you. I want you to wake up and be your very best everyday. I don’t care what the cost is personally to me, because my dream is not about me. It is about you.
I don’t want to be the voice of your personal development. I want you to be that voice. I start with me in the hope that you will see me and then see how similar you and I really are.
A New Year of Openness
It is time for me to raise the bar again. I am committing to another year of daily posts. There are some parts of me that I still find difficult to expose. For some reason, I still haven’t figured out how to share them with you. They are the rich and beautiful parts of me, even the most important parts of me. They define me and set me apart from others.
I no longer worry about being rejected for who I am. My biggest worry now is learning how to openly share my differences without prescribing myself on you or others. I truly want you to be your best and I understand that your best is different than my best.
The average visitor to my posts spends about 3 and half minutes reading what normally takes me an average of an hour and a half to write. I believe you are thinking about it for much longer than that, and I am thankful for all of the comments and interactions I regularly receive.
Toward Greater Authenticity
Being the authentic me does not necessarily mean that I will change who I am, it means that I will open myself up to you with all my biases and imperfections and that you will not judge me. Instead, I believe you will value me, and open yourself up to me so that I can value you.
This is not meant to be a conversion experience, it is meant to be a discovery process. I want you to know the real you, and I want to know the real you. If I am evoking in you a desire to become a regular reader then please feel responsible enough to share these posts with others you feel will benefit from this opportunity. Let’s give them an opportunity to see themselves in the mirror of self-reflection. I can’t wait to see what this year will bring for me and you! Thanks again for reading and supporting "The Authentic Me".
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Tags: Andrew Thorn, Carpe Articulum, Dr. Andrew Thorn, Dreaming, Game of Life, Goal Setting, Heart Might Mind & Strength, Inclusion, Leader Behaviors, Life is Good, Life Leadership Harmony, Love Today, Personal Best Leadership, Powerful Questions, Self-Deception, Spiritual Intelligence, The Authentic Me, The Game of Life, The Telios Experience
I am glad that you are going to continue writing. I have utterly enjoyed getting to know you better through these blogs. Thanks for sharing!!! Love you!