When someone makes a genuine shift toward authenticity, one of the first fears that arises is: “I won’t be able to relate to other people anymore.” The person in this session worried they’d be too slow, too scrambled, unable to keep up in conversation. Joe reframes this fear as a positive signal.
“One of the marks of big movements in ourselves is that we get scared that we won’t be able to relate to other people. In my journey now every time that thought comes up I’m like, ooh it’s going to get good.”
The fear is accurate in one sense — you may not be able to relate to people in the same way. The old social patterns were built on persona management. When you drop the persona, those patterns break. But what replaces them is connection from a more real place, which attracts people who actually resonate with who you are rather than who you were performing.
The disorientation period is real but temporary. Some people can’t speak from their authentic place for a week after finding it. The key is not to retreat back into the old pattern because of the fear.
Related Concepts
- Uncertainty is where transformation happens
- Being yourself designs your life
- Can’t be seen if not being yourself
- Vulnerability aligns the world around your truth instead of your presentation