Sepia Prime Woman Digital Magazine December 2013 | Page 11

Vanessa’s Spot
- Vanessa Church

Survival is Becoming Your Authentic Self
In the movie, “Mahogany,” starring singer/actress Diana Ross, the theme song that became a pop classic, asks several
very simple questions. “Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you
going to? Do you know?”
Knowing who you are and where you are headed is
paramount to survival during challenging times. After a
major setback or in the midst of the storm, you must be honest
and true to yourself, regardless of what that truth looks like.
I call this being authentic, but there’s a familiar slang term
which calls this process ‘keeping it real’.
To be authentic is to be the real you. Start with the woman in
the mirror and answer this question: “Who is the woman I see
in my mirror?” Not, who do I think I am, or who do others
think I am, but who am I really when nobody is looking at me,
but me? This calls for gut-level honesty which can be a very
hard pill to swallow. You can see deeper into you if you are
looking at yourself in the mirror while naked. No make-up,
clothing or anything else to masks your appearance. This is
the real you. Are you being true to you?
Authenticity denotes realness. If ever you would sell designer
purses or clothing to a consignment shop there is a woman
there whose title is ‘authenticator’. It is her job to make certain that each item presented is the real deal—that it is part of
the designer’s authentic original collection and not a fake or a ‘knock off ’. Designer knock offs look real but they are not
authentic. You are a designer original!
Your faith in your authentic self is responsible for your being a survivor. Trust yourself and your inner strength to move
you smoothly into the next phase of your life. Don’t like the direction you’re headed? Change it. Refrain from people
pleasing and doing what is expected of you. Be unashamedly and unapologetically your authentic self.

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