‘Authenticity‘ is a buzzword we all seem to throw around as an ideal to aspire to, but what the heck is it?
Voltaire said, “If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.”
Some say ‘authenticity is to just be what you are, period.’
The problem with this definition is that it doesn’t take into account anyone but yourself.
Cockroaches and puppies might both qualify for this definition, yet, one repels while the other attracts.
A key distinction here might be ‘use value to another’.
And so the things we say and do, must be valuable to those we’re serving.
And of course we can’t forget to do these things with honesty and sincerity to where we’ve really been, who we really are and where we’re really going.
‘Fake it till you make it‘, is a recipe for repelling anyone who has their antenna of intuition up.
Vulnerability, yes but not without reserve.
Personal challenges, struggles, doubts & setbacks can be useful to share, but only in the right proportion to relevance and usefulness to your audience.
Authenticity is the intersection of where who you really are meets where the market needs and wants to be served.
Go to far to one side and you lose the market.
Go to far to the other, and you lose yourself.