Who are you and what do you stand for? How do you live accordingly?
To be honest towards oneself is the most important step towards living a life without worry or lack of confidence. That doesn't mean that we don't worry sometimes or lack confidence, it is rather that we handle our meetings and what we do in life with the awareness and care to ensure we can develop this better or simply meet our own needs. I, for example, do my best when I am on time but never have to wait before an appointment. This way, I have no time to worry but simply live in flow.
Being and living authentic has to do with what we believe in and stand for, and how we carry these beliefs out into the world.
Here are three examples:
I think it's important to drink mineral water. I need 2 liters per day. I therefore buy and drink 2 liters of Volvic water per day.
I want to have a healthy looking skin while being eco-friendly and sensitive, yet feel that I have a bit of luxury in my bathroom. Therefore I prefer using John Master's Organics products.
I believe in being honest. Therefore I never lie (unless I would have to, to save mine or others' life) and am direct about who I am, what I need, what I want, like and dislike. I say yes when I mean yes and I say no when I mean no. If I don't know, I say that too. Therefore I always respect others when they are honest with me.
It's as simple as that.
This develops integrity which in turn is being true to our innermost nature, who we really are from within - introverted or extroverted, which preferences we have and communicate these depending on context and culture, letting it be seen when we are allowed to be our best self.
Do you allow others to be authentic? To use their own talents and gifts? Or would you rather make them into someone they are not so you can create a persona for yourself, rather than daring to say no to what others want you to be for them? Or no to who you think you need to be?
It is when we live authentically, we have nothing to hide, nothing to conceal and no need to silence others. It is to value time, communicate directly without leaving anything unsaid and why I fall asleep directly at night without regrets. What is done is done, and hopefully we can do better next time if the result wasn't what we hoped for. When we do our best with what we have, we can't do more. Then we are enough.
What do you like and need? It is by stating this we also can set boundaries.