Are You Being Authentic?

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-ways-people-know-you-aren-t-being-authentic.html

 

In my research for authenticity, I stumbled upon this. 7 Ways People Know You Aren’t Being Authentic.

1. You hold grudges
   I like that they (sort of) equate letting go of a grudge as forgiving oneself. I like that. And it's important not to bog yourself down with emotional baggage; grudges say more about you than they do of the person who you are holding it towards.
2. You always go with the crowd
   I personally don’t feel this applies to trends, if you like to be trendy, be trendy. (I like to be trendy, you can call me ‘basic’ if you want, I’ll stick with trendy) But I think it has more to do with agreeing with a political or religious agenda that is popular at the time but you find doesn’t line up with your values. It’s okay to go against the grain when it involves standing up for who you are (even if no one else is agreeing at that point in time)
3. You don’t keep your agreements
   I struggle with this SO MUCH. I am SUCH  a homebody who also fiercely loves trying new things. WELL aren’t those just a contradiction? I often find myself right in the middle of said contradiction. I will have to get better about this before month’s end. I have to start really considering saying ‘yes’ to the dinner or party before giving the answer so that I won’t have to take it back later or make a ridiculous excuse (super guilty)
4. You don’t take care of yourself
   Up until fairly recently, this was me. It felt SO good to get healthy again because I think it is such a mental thing before it becomes physical. I was ready to be the best me and stand beside her and cheer her on. Before getting healthy I would have done or said anything just to blend into the crowd and draw little to no attention (not good for authenticity)
5. You act like a perfectionist
   I don’t necessarily agree with this point. I would like to think you could be a perfectionist and be real at the same time, just so long as you don’t think you are actually perfect. There is no perfect. But you can still want to get as close as possible with your work. And I think perfect is a relative term, anyway.
6. You say yes all the time
   Definitely get comfortable with ‘no’. Sometimes I struggle with this (see above, not keeping agreements) because I want to please everyone. I am starting to see that people value honesty and realness over a placating answer. Working on this one!
7. You don’t practice what you preach
   Consistency! Such an important aspect to ‘keeping it real’ – if your actions and behaviors don’t line up day in and day out, odds are your masks are clashing. When you finally take off the masks, you will always walk the walk and talk the talk because you won’t be busy chasing your tail trying to switch your opinions based on your setting. Demonstrate integrity. Be true to your word.