“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is to celebrate.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

As the holiday season begins, many of us are focused on the upcoming celebrations we’ll be having with our families. I wish you all a happy time.

Sunday, November 13th, marked a different kind of celebration for this site: The Authentic Lane’s three-year anniversary! Can you believe we’ve been on this journey together for that long?

When I started this blog, I really had no idea what to expect. I just knew I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned about emotional honesty with others who had a similar desire to live authentically.

As I said on my Blog page when I created it, “Being true to ourselves and open and honest with others can be daunting, but it’s so worth it. It’s something that can be learned over time, one concept at a time.”

And that’s just what we’ve been doing: looking within to discover the essence of who we are, with the goal of creating a more fulfilling life for ourselves and stronger connections with others.

Think about how much we’ve grown since the end of 2019! We started out by learning how to be curious observers, “seeking first to understand.” Much as we might think we know ourselves and what we’re about, under the surface there is so much more to us! Doing a deep dive into our personal histories and experiences yields a wealth of information that helps us live our lives in a more intentional manner.  

In my very first post I mentioned that I’d be focusing on my two core beliefs, the first of which is about us:

Honesty with ourselves and others really is the best policy.

We’ve talked about the importance of self-worth, and what psychologist Carl Rogers called developing “a quiet sense of pleasure in being one’s own self.” We’ve taken off the masks we used to wear to impress others and protect ourselves. We know that we’re fine just the way we are.

In an early post I mentioned that my goal for the blog was to help us all to move closer and closer to our true selves—to feel good—no, great, actually—about who we are and what we have to offer the world and each other. That’s still my goal, and together, we’re making our way!

We’ve learned the importance of setting boundaries. In doing so we’re able to honor our needs, knowing that the healthier and happier we are, the better able we are to serve others.

The second core belief is about others:

If we want to be successful in our relationships, we have to have a sincere desire to learn about each other and to reserve judgment about what we uncover.

Showing genuine interest in others, especially those who are different from us, makes them feel seen, and accepting them as they are makes them feel valued. Each of us has quirks, and it’s important to listen to each other for a better understanding, for it is in understanding each other that we forge bonds.

I also expressed my belief that love is a verb. Whether we’re talking about loving ourselves or others, the expression of love takes positive action. I hope my blog has inspired you to take positive steps in your life to love both yourself and others more deeply. Opening ourselves up to others and making ourselves vulnerable takes courage, but the intimacy we experience when we do so is indescribable.

Over these past few years I’ve shared many personal observations from my own experiences, from studying psychology, and especially from therapy. I’ve also researched each topic I’ve written about to deepen my understanding of the concepts. I’ve linked to many wonderful writers and bloggers, and I thank them for their wisdom.

The images I’ve posted have enhanced our experience here. I’d like to thank photographers Sue Ivy and Anna Bass in particular for sharing their incredible artistry with us.

I so appreciate my skilled copy editor, Cindy Brody, whose keen insights have made every single post that much better.

Most of all I thank you, my dear readers, for traveling this road with me. I can’t wait to see where we’ll go next.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Affectionately,

Elaine