Authentic Living
“Sing a Song” sung by the Carpenters
Sing.
Sing a song.
Sing out loud, sing out strong.
Sing of good things, not bad.
Sing of happy, not sad.
Sing.
Sing a song.
Make it simple to last your whole life long.
Don´t worry if it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear.
Just sing.
Sing a song.
La La La La La La
La La La La La La
La La La La La La
Sing. Sing a song.
Let the world.
Sing out loud.
Sing of love there, could be.
Sing for you and for me.
Sing a song.
Make it simple to last your whole life long.
Don´t worry if it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear.
Just sing, sing a song.
Not long ago I was stopped at a traffic light when I looked over at the driver in the car next to mine. She was singing at the top of her lungs, playing air drums on the steering wheel, having the best time! It made me smile. I admired her carefree attitude, her genuine abandon at singing like that, and her seeming unconcern for what neighboring drivers might think.
Because sometimes it’s hard to be authentic.
We can get really caught up in watching what we say or how we act in the quest to make sure we’re likable and accepted by others. Or we stifle our spontaneity, curb our enthusiasm, temper our sense of humor. And we only allow others to see the carefully curated parts of ourselves. That’s the safe, comfortable, low risk option.
But what if…
Like the song lyrics above suggest, what if you just sang your song? And sang it loud and strong for everyone to hear! What would happen? Yes, there would probably be some people who would be turned off by that. (I’d suggest they’d simply be intimidated by it!) But there would also be some people who would appreciate it. And some who might even join along in singing with you. That’s the best part of being authentic and genuine in living your life– you find some terrific people who truly like you for you and not the curated version of yourself. So go on– sing your song.
As always, if you need help in figuring out the how’s and why’s of living more authentically– I’m happy to give guidance or answer any questions you might have!
