Authenticity Exercise 2: Noticing authenticity

Give yourself at least 20-30 minutes to do this exercise. Bear in mind that once you have done the exercise, you may want more time to reflect on and assimilate what you learn. Make sure you write your answers down. It can be powerful to put into words what we have not articulated before.

Think of an occasion where you experienced what you would call deep authenticity – either your own, or someone else’s.

What happened?
What were the circumstances?
What impact did it have on you?
And on others?
What were the key features of the situation before the moment of authenticity took place?
What were the key features afterwards?
What do you believe was the aspect of themselves or principle that they called upon in order to be authentic in that situation?
How do you feel at the end of this process? Do you feel any new ideas, feelings, possibilities or intentions emerging?