When we say, “I’m an authentic person,” we might be telling ourselves a big lie.
Do we even know what authenticity is?
One pure meaning of authenticity is when we are consistent: consistent in our behavior at home, at work, and in public.
The question to ask ourselves is: Do we behave in the same consistent manner when with our spouse, or with our coworker, or even with a stranger, in public?
No, never. And it is difficult for us to acknowledge.
We always have different faces we put on, depending on the people we are with. We put on different outfits when with different people because we want to be judged properly. We use different yardsticks to gauge, measure, and accordingly behave with the set of people around us at any particular time.
There is a single principle to being truly authentic. Here it is:
Behave in the same consistent way, irrespective of the people you’re surrounded with. You’ll be truly authentic when people seeing you from the front, see the same you when they see you from the back. And also see the same you when they see you from the sides.
Can you do that? If you look deep within, true and real authenticity might be surprisingly difficult to find.