Living An Authentic Life

I did a Periscope broadcast on this topic last week but forgot to record it. . .so, I thought I'd do recap of what I discussed.

First, let's define what it means to be "authentic".  

au·then·tic (ôˈTHen(t)ik) | adjective

1. of undisputed origin; genuine: bonafide

In other words, original.  I think it is hard to be authentic with respect to your work simply because the world has been around for so long and there have been so many brilliant minds that have come before us. It's very rare that something can claim to be truly original.  Not to mention, in the current environment (access to everything and everyone) it's hard to truly be authentic with all the great examples to emulate. We're all sharing and recycling the same blueprints for success.

Therefore I think authenticity has to come from the individual and your approach to your work and interactions with others. But being authentic goes far beyond "keeping it real", there is a way to bring honesty to your experiences without being callous or alienating folks.

My suggestions:

1. Stop following the crowd. This one is hard but sometimes you've got to stop looking at what other people are doing, so you can discover what YOU like to do and what YOU bring to the table. 

2. Stop acting like you have it all together. Be transparent & allow yourself to be vulnerable.

3. Become self aware. Embrace your flaws and work on things that will make your better. 

The goal is to allow the real you a chance to shine.