Sat Nam (Sanskrit, noun):

Truth is my identity.

For the past few months, I’ve been drowning.

Buried under a demanding client project that’s taken up nearly every ounce of my time and energy. It left me with barely a breath to spare—no space to write, no space to create, no space to complete the identity shifting program I’ve been building for what seems like forever.

And if I’m honest...

I started to feel resentful that it was dominating my life. Burnt out. Like I’d taken on more than I could carry, and inevitably, it began to bleed into how I was showing up.

I found myself sitting through meeting after meeting for this project, quietly simmering. Irritated at the direction things were moving. Usually, I keep a tight lid on such emotions. I stay agreeable and even-keeled. It’s all part of the image I unconsciously default to during professional settings—someone who’s calm, composed, and easygoing.

But one day, something cracked.

I spoke up. I voiced my frustration. And I let it show—on my face, in my tone, in my body language. There was no hiding it. And almost immediately, the wave of regret rolled in.

After the meeting, I spiraled.

I couldn’t stop replaying what I’d said and how I must’ve come across. I felt exposed. Embarrassed. Like I’d let something leak out that I wasn’t supposed to show.

That old fear crept in.

The fear of not being seen as likable or in control. Of being judged. Misunderstood. Of being outside the circle.

It was a familiar pattern.

One my inner child knew by heart.

That boy who had once studied the “cool kids,” learning how to shape himself into something palatable, something likable—something safe. A version of me that could be approved of, if only I kept the real parts just out of sight.

But just when I needed it the most, this verse below from the Tao Te Ching found its way to me and snapped me out of my daze.

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

What difference between yes and no?

What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?

How ridiculous!

Other people are excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don’t care,
I alone am expressionless,

like an infant before it can smile.

Other people have what they need;

I alone possess nothing.

I alone drift about,

like someone without a home.

I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.

Other people are bright;

I alone am dark.

Other people are sharper;

I alone am dull.

Other people have a purpose;

I alone don’t know.

I drift like a wave on the ocean,

I blow as aimless as the wind.

I am different from ordinary people.

I drink from the Great Mother’s breasts.

— Tao Te Ching – Verse 20

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

At first glance, this verse sounds bleak. Detached. Almost like it’s giving up on the world.

But it’s actually a quiet rebellion of consciousness.

A radical invitation to let go of the constant pressure to keep up appearances—to stop chasing, stop performing, stop defining ourselves by comparison, control, and curated identities.

It’s not a retreat from life. It’s a return to something real… to something deep.

And in that return, something clicked.

I’ve been exploring manifestation for quite some time—writing about it, practicing it, and determined to live it. And as I’ve been creating this course on identity shifting for the past year, I am more convinced than ever that what we call manifestation, spirituality, and every tool we use to “become” and achieve is ultimately pointing us back to one thing…

Raw. Unapologetic. Authenticity.

And this is the insight I keep landing on over and over again in my own path.

Yes, consciously creating your reality is real. But not in the way we’ve been told. Not by vision boards and perfect vibes. But by truth. By presence. By being wildly, deeply, messily yourself.

True manifestation isn’t about becoming someone impressive. It’s about becoming someone honest.

It isn’t designed to help you build a shinier self-image. It’s here to strip away everything that isn’t really you. To help you shift not by force—but by truth. Not by striving—but by remembering.

I call it manifestation through authenticity.

Or you could say manifestation through presence.

It’s not a process of trying harder. It’s about softening into what’s already waiting. Because when you’re aligned with your truest, deepest self, life doesn’t need convincing.

It responds.

Manifestation through authenticity looks like this…

You stop managing your image. You start showing up as you are.
You stop chasing outcomes. You start honoring what already feels true.
You stop building your identity around what others value—and finally ask yourself what you value.

And this is where that verse I shared from the Tao Te Ching reveals itself as a quiet rebellion— a challenge to everything we’ve been taught about success, image, and control. A subtle nod to the only thing you could possibly manifest that truly matters: the radical, authentic expression of you.

Let’s take a closer look.

7 Pathways for Manifesting Through Authenticity

Below are seven lines drawn from Verse 20—each a pathway to remembering who you really are. Together, they offer a grounded philosophy for creating a life rooted in authenticity and presence.

1. “Stop thinking, and end your problems.”

Overthinking blocks presence. Presence unlocks truth. And truth is the soil where real manifestation begins.

2. “Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid?”

You weren’t meant to fit into someone else’s mold. You were meant to embody your own frequency.

3. “What difference between success and failure?”

What if your only measure of success was how honest you were willing to be?

4. “Other people have what they need. I alone possess nothing.”

Let go of comparison. Trust the emptiness. That’s where your creative potential finds you.

5. “I drift like a wave on the ocean.”

You don’t need a master plan. You need a relationship with your own intuition.

6. “Other people have a purpose. I alone don’t know.”

Purpose doesn’t always come as a label or a five-year plan. Sometimes it comes as a quiet yes that leads you forward.

7. “I am different from ordinary people. I drink from the Great Mother’s breasts.”

The deeper you go into who you really are, the more you realize—you are sustained by something far bigger than the world’s approval.

The Real Identity Shift

So now I’ll ask you:

Where have you traded presence for performance—shaping yourself into something palatable, instead of something true?
Where are you exhausting yourself trying to become what you already are beneath the noise?
And where are you waiting for signs, for synchronicities, for a green light from the world—when the real guidance has been quietly pulsing inside you all along?

This is the shift. This is the work.

Not becoming more, but becoming more visible.

Not proving, but revealing.

Even the parts you try to edit out.

And deep down, this is what drives us more than anything in life: Shedding the mask and uncovering the person we know, beneath it all, we’re meant to be—and embodying that fully, in every moment of every day.

And that’s exactly what I hope my upcoming Identity Shifting program will support you in doing—not by helping you “fix” yourself, but by guiding you back to what’s already true.

To help you root your manifestation practice in the one thing that never burns out, never breaks, and never needs polishing:

The truth of who you already are.

I’ll share more about it soon.

But for now—consider this your invitation to stop striving so hard and start being.

The real you is the source, the ultimate manifestation. And the Universe has been waiting for you to remember.

— Anthony

With gratitude. 🙏🏻

If you have any questions or want to share some of your own insights, feel free to hit reply and let me know. I read and reply to every email.

As always, remember:

You are a Conscious Creator of your reality!
Keep creating your best self!