Authenticity

Close your eyes

What do you see when you close your eyes ? that very question popped up during my morning meditation and I started to look after what I was seeing, and even though my first reflex was to answer "nothing, I see nothing" it wasn't entirely true - nothing is an empty word - it doesn't exist.

I am seeing something - this doesn't make sense, but I'm seeing color, shapes in a very fast manner.

This is something I'm so accustomed of that I never paid attention to, these are remnant of light that I've seen before closing the eyes obviously, or something that my brain is analyzing as "moving shadow" or some sort of blobs.

What other people think is irrelevant

Why ? because we are all one ; and we should try to think for ourselves - if my thoughts are about what another person is thinking -- then there's a tiny problem.
First, there's no way I can be sure of what this person is really thinking (unless I ask that person, and the answer will be genuine)
Secondly, why would that make a difference for me : If what I'm doing is completely in accord with what I'm supposed to do.

Basically looking around for approval is only something a newbie would do to receive acknowledgement.

But if you are living in alignment then receiving approval or critics from somebody else is completely irrelevant. At some level of mastery in any subject (art, music, dance, sport etc ...) when an individual is acting in the flow of the art he masters - the joy he receives is his only guide.

People applauding, cheering or heckling is just a hindrance at that level of play - this is just "noise" ignored by the master.

Knowing Authenticity

How to Not Care What Other People Think:

The good news is that authenticity is a learn-able skill. Like anything else, it all comes down to practice.