When was the last time you really resonated with somebody? Can you recall what were some of the reasons why?
The people you follow on social media, the colleagues at work that you look up to, and the friends you have who seemingly have life put together from your eyes.
People value authenticity. They don’t so much vibe with inauthentic or untrustworthy people. Yet many of us put up a facade hiding our true selves to others.
Why do we do this? I have a theory. I believe we do this because we are afraid that we won’t be accepted for who we truly are. Yet this has a double-edged sword effect. By not being our authentic selves, we risk many things like being able to perform at our best, establishing deep connections with others, and eliminating our insecurities.
Authenticity starts with self-awareness. You know who you are, your limitations as a human, and what you’re good at. You’re also not afraid to get feedback from others. Hell, you invite others to provide you feedback at anytime for any reason because you’re that comfortable with it. You start to make conversation more personable with stories or adversity you’ve faced rather than an opinion.
How To Become More Authentic
Remember how we talked about authenticity starting with self-awareness? Now it’s time to really reflect upon yourself. What are your values? What is your philosophy on certain issues? How do you like to be treated?
These are the exact types of questions you should be asking yourself and gathering feedback from others about. Sure, not all feedback is going to be sunshine and rainbows, but it will give you a deeper appreciation of your flaws and what areas you can work on to become more authentic.
Your authenticity will thank you for doing so.