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Are you tired of living life on autopilot, sick and tired of not showing up

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as your true authentic self?

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You're always trying to fit in, blend in, be part of the crowd,

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make others happy by being the person that you think that they want you to be.

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If so, then you better buckle up because this episode is designed specifically

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for you. By the end of today's episode, you're going to have walked away understanding

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the power of being your true authentic self.

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I'm going to also provide you with some practical tips and pieces of advice

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to help you actually accomplish this task of being you.

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You and of course I hope that at the end you'll be inspired to take this idea

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and put it to action in your life to start living up to start showing up as

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you because well the world needs more of you and that is what today is all about.

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My friend I welcome you to episode 287.

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What's up my friend and a welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

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I am your host, Kevin Lowe. 20 years ago, I awoke from a life-saving surgery

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only to find that I was left completely blind.

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And since that day, I've learned a lot about life, a lot about living, and a lot about myself.

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And here on this podcast, I wanna share those insights with you.

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Because friend, if you are still searching for your purpose,

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still trying to understand why, or still left searching for that next right

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path to take, we'll consider this to be your stepping stone to get you from

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where you are to where you want to be.

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This week's prayer request is for a lady named Julie.

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She is the friend of a future guest here on the podcast, Dr. Robin Hall.

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You will get to hear her story later this summer.

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But while I was talking to Dr.

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Robin Hall, she told me about her friend, Julie, and Julie has been battling brain cancer.

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And I would love it if we could all say a prayer right now for Julie,

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for healing, for comfort, for peace, for both her and for her family and friends.

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When you're sick, it doesn't just impact you. No, it impacts everyone around you.

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And so if you could say a prayer today for Julie, along with her family and

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friends, for comfort, for peace, for healing.

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That would be absolutely amazing.

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Now, before we continue, I do have to tell you about something that has been

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a total game changer for me. And that is my pillow.

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I don't know if you are somebody who toss and turn at night.

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You're always trying to find the cool spot on the sheets.

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You're flipping the comforter off. You wake up and the bed is a total wreck

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because, well, a total wreck is what your night's sleep was.

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My pillow, they got more than just pillows, my friend. they will make your entire

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sleep routine a total amazement because they got sheets, they got comforters,

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they got pillows, they got everything and more.

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And when you use promo code Kevin, you can unlock their $25 extravaganza.

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That's going on right now.

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Some of their very best products are literally only $25.

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And if you want something not on that list, well, Well, still use promo code

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Kevin because that's going to get you the best available price.

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We're talking up to 80% off.

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Go shopping today at MyPillow.com using promo code Kevin so that you can start

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sleeping a little bit better.

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I want to kick off our talk today by sharing a really important truth that I want you to realize.

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You are worthy of living a life that is authentic to you.

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You do not need to make yourself become somebody different just to fit in or

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just to make somebody like you.

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No, you really and truly are perfect just as you are.

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The more that you try to fit in, the more that you try to become somebody different,

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the more you are setting yourself up for a life of disappointment.

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Because if you want a life of fulfillment, if you want a life that lights you

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up, well, then you have to be living a life that is true and authentic to who you are.

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Now, I understand that this isn't as easy as some may think.

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Because the truth is, is that if you think about it, it.

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We've kind of been ingrained in this idea of fitting in ever since we were kids.

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I mean, my goodness, if you think back to elementary school,

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you always had to try to fit in with the crowd.

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You either felt like you had to dress a certain way, you had to act a certain

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way, you had to pretend that you were into certain things just so that you could fit in.

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Now, Now, back at home, when you weren't around those people,

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well, then you did the stuff that you really like to do. You were your true authentic self.

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But while there in school, of course, you tried your best to fit in.

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And that's how it was. Honestly, if you think about it all through school,

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maybe it even got worse in middle school and high school.

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But then at some point, hopefully, you came to realize an important truth is

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that there There were actually more kids who were actually just like you,

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who liked the same stuff as you truly did.

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And maybe you didn't have to keep pretending anymore. Maybe you didn't have

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to keep trying to be somebody who you weren't.

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So I say that to say that what I'm talking about today, I understand is difficult.

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It may be challenging. It may push you to the limit because maybe the relationships

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that you're in, friendships,

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relationships maybe they're not really true to who you truly are they're only

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true to the person that you've been trying to pretend you are trying to make

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yourself believe that you are but today my hope is to set the true you free.

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To illustrate today's topic, I want you to think of the last big gathering you went to.

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I'm talking about one where there's a lot of people. Maybe you didn't really know many people there.

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And so you were just kind of mingling around, trying to fit in and find some people to relate to.

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And most likely, while you were standing there, you probably heard some conversations

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going on of stuff that you probably didn't really agree with, believe in.

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Maybe it was people telling certain jokes that you really didn't think were funny.

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You thought they were kind of rude, but you found yourself laughing anyways

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because, well, you were just trying to fit in.

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Maybe you're not really somebody who drinks alcohol and yet,

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well, everybody else is.

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So you take a glass of wine and we may think that, well, that's just part of life.

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It's how we always did it as kids. So it's how we do it as adults.

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But what I'm here to do is to make you realize that, no, it doesn't have to

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be like that, that you don't have to make yourself fit in.

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No, you can just be who you are and let that attract those people to you.

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Don't feel like you have to conform to meet the group. No, you stand out.

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You be the bright colored zebra in amongst of all the black and white zebras.

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You be authentically you.

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And amazingly enough is you may realize very quickly that you attract more who

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shed off that black and white zebra skin and transform it into a colorful zebra.

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That's what we're talking about. about attracting more people to you who are

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just like you, not you pretending to be somebody different.

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So the question you may be asking yourself is, okay, but how do I do it?

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How do I get to the point where I can not try to fit in with the crowd,

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that I can be in search of people who are just like me?

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Well, I believe it all starts by self-awareness.

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Basically, understanding and

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realizing who you truly are, not the person you've been pretending to be.

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Sometimes it seems like we may be pretending to be somebody else for so long

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that we almost convince ourselves that we are that person, that we do like this stuff.

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But if you let yourself really think about things and really put your guard

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down, you'll start to discover who you really and truly are.

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Are underneath all of that stuff that you've been pretending to be.

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So I want you to understand what do you like?

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What do you love? What lights you up? What brings you joy? What do you want out of life?

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When you can get true with yourself and kind of light that flame that's been

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burned out for way too long of all the things that you really and truly do love,

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well, you might realize that you start to change a little bit.

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You start to naturally no longer feel the need to fit in because,

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well, they are doing things that you don't agree with or that you're just not into. to.

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You're into something different. And that's what we're talking about here.

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We're talking about you getting true on who you are on the inside,

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so that then that propels itself on the outside, totally impacting your life.

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Now, the truth of the matter is, is that self-awareness, that's just one part.

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But what about the courage to actually do it?

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It's easy to say that you're going to go against the grain, that you're going

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to do something different, that you're going to show up as your true self,

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but then actually having the courage to do so, well, that's a whole nother ballgame.

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And that's where I want you to remember the idea of immediate action.

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If you find yourself in a moment where you thought you were going to do it,

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you thought you were going to be who you are.

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And yet now all of a sudden you find yourself being sucked into the same trap

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that you've done all your life.

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I want you to literally take a pause, to take a breath, and I just want you to count.

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Give yourself five seconds. Count down from five, five, four, three, two, one.

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And I want you to act on who you truly are.

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If you need to change directions, if you need to have that as your wake-up call

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of, hey, I'm not acting as my true

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authentic self, I want that to be the ignition switch that turns it on.

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Like I said, it takes work, it takes effort, and it's not always going to be

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easy depending on the situation that you're in.

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But the more you do it, the harder you try, the easier it will become.

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And soon enough, it's just going to become second nature because after all,

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you're just being you. You're not having to pretend anymore.

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One important thing to know is when we talk about authenticity,

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I want you to realize that that doesn't mean being perfect. I don't want you to mistake it for that.

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It just means being true and being honest, not to anyone else, but to you.

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That means you embracing who you are, your quirks, your funny little things

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that maybe people in your old

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circles have made fun of, have made you think, made you less than them.

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Well, now that you're embracing who you are, those groups probably no longer fit you.

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So I hope that you are attracting new people to your life.

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You're finding people who do appreciate the person that you are.

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They love the way you laugh.

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They don't make fun of you when you crack up giggling when maybe it's not appropriate.

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They love you for who you are because you are finally showing up as who you are.

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And you know what's really kind of powerful about it is you'll probably notice

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it to be a bit of a chain reaction because when you start showing up as you,

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you'll probably start to notice others around you starting to show up as their true selves also.

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Maybe you finally realize, you know what?

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I really am tired of dressing just like everybody else.

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When I really rather just put on a pair of blue jeans and head out for the night,

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I don't want to have to wear a dress.

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So you know what? Do it. Show up as you.

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Do whatever you want to do. And I guarantee you, you'll probably find the next

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time you go out, you might probably You'll probably see more ladies wearing

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blue jeans out than you ever had before.

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It's like you being a trendsetter by simply being authentically you.

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The most important message that I want you to come away with out of today's

00:14:01.291 --> 00:14:07.691

episode is the fact is true that you are absolutely perfect, amazing,

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simply irresistible, just as you are.

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Are you never ever need

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to make yourself into somebody else

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no i want you to show up every day just as you are and i want you to do it for

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nobody else but you because you deserve to shine and you deserve to let the

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rest of the world experience you for who you are we've got way

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too many people pretending to be somebody they're not.

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We need authenticity in today's world. And I want you to be the person to do it in your circle.

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My friend, this is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration, the podcast helping you to

00:14:53.771 --> 00:14:58.091

look at life from a little bit different angle, constantly challenging the norm,

00:14:58.251 --> 00:15:03.271

having you flip the script, and hopefully impacting your life.

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My name is Kevin Lowe. This is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

00:15:07.051 --> 00:15:09.691

Get out there and be authentically you.

00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:28.847

Music