AUTHENTICITY
“As I began to love myself, I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living my own truth. Today, I know this is authenticity.”
—Charlie Chaplin, English comic actor, filmmaker and composer.
Facebook and Instagram are not representations of our authentic selves. They are projections that we create to position ourselves in a world that has become increasingly inauthentic.
Authenticity begins with self-awareness.
The Greek philosopher Socrates famously asserted, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Gaining self-awareness requires taking inventory—knowing what we like and don’t like, what we think and don’t think, what we feel and don’t feel, what constitutes our strengths and our weaknesses. Authenticity begins with understanding, trusting and embracing our motives, emotions, traits, abilities and preferences.
“Unless I am both capable of and willing to reopen the wound every time I write a song, if I choose to not look inside myself to write music, I’m really not worth being called an artist at all.”
—Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter and actress.
Authenticity requires acting in ways that are consistent with our needs, values and beliefs, even at the risk of criticism or rejection. Being true to yourself may create dissatisfaction in others. We may therefore hide our true feelings or beliefs to fit in.
Authenticity is critical in relationships, which require honesty and openness. People who are authentic are more likely to have effective coping strategies, satisfying relationships, a strong sense of self-worth and increased confidence. Less authentic people are more likely to be defensive, easily overwhelmed, confused or suspicious. They are more likely to use drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms.
Feelings of inauthenticity can be so uncomfortable that some people will even undergo sex changes in an effort to be more like what they identify as their true self. Finding oneself can be a difficult challenge for young people or for people in midlife who find themselves reevaluating their life choices.
Authenticity requires accepting contradiction and discomfort and acknowledging our faults and limitations.
We can’t be perfect—but we can be real.
Know yourself, love yourself and be yourself. You’re more than enough.
