The power of authenticity

Be yourself. Be authentic. It's the essence of all good leadership and communication. Easier said than done, right?

For most of us, we're so caught up in looks and appearances and trappings that we aren't really showing people the authentic us -- who we really are. This is complicated by the fact that in many cases, we don't actually know who we really are.

This is where authenticity enters the picture. But how do we live more authentically?

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“Live authentically. Why would you continue to compromise something that's beautiful to create something that is fake?” Steve Maraboli

Authenticity starts with being honest with yourself about yourself. So, who are you? What do you stand for? What makes you tick? What are the things you don't like about yourself? What would you like to change?

Next, authenticity is living out what you really stand for, your values, beliefs, ideals. Hopefully, your actions mirror the inner you. Here's where we get tripped up. We often try to live out someone else's values or what someone else suggests we do and say. 

So, the third level of authenticity is having the courage to live with integrity, live what you know to be true about yourself and your view of life.

Authenticity is saying no to games. It's being real with people so that the person they know, like and trust is the real you.

Have Wes speak at your next conference or meeting. Twitter: @wesbleed