December 4, 2024: AUTHENTICITY: THE REAL YOU
"Authenticity means erasing the gap between what you firmly believe inside and what you reveal to the outside world."-Adam Grant
Getting to know our true selves is something we should strive for. We sometimes display bluster when our ego is challenged or we need to appear more brave than we actually are. We have a survival instinct that allows us to fake it while we are trying to make it. We have been schooled by some of our earliest motivational gurus to pretend to be who we would like to be; to act as if we are already in possession of those success attributes. All of that sage advice really works. We truly can reach actual greatness and stellar accomplishment by first pretending that we are what it takes to be there. The human mind is a powerful force. It can actually convince us that we can do just about anything, and if we can maintain and consistently replenish that mindset, we actually can do just about anything. But if we really, really want to know who we are at our core, we only have to observe our behavior when no one is watching; when we have to make a moral decision when no one will know what decision we made, for example, if you found a lost wallet and no one saw you pick it up, would you keep it or try to find its owner? Have you secretly undermined someone's career while pretending to like them? What choices do we make when no one will know what choice we made? Will the choice be consistent with who we pretend to be or will it be based on who we truly are? If we are secretly the same person we openly present to the public, we will possess an authenticity that will endear us to our peers, our family, our friends and most importantly ourselves. Authenticity is a worthy goal for all of us. Let's all strive to be our authentic selves.
© 2024 Detroit Flanagan
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