This post is openning a new chapter and with it introducing a topic of authenticity. Meaning of this word as I want to add it to this blog is complex, so I will unpack it gradually. The word itself, more familiar to some and less familiar to others, is used for different purposes. For example, you may be travelling in (in my case neighbouring) Italy and find yourself in Naples at the famous pizzeria L’Antica, eating an authentic pizza Margherita. Word authentic is usually translated with words like original, genuine or primal.
Be who you are?
Messages in these notes will not be about authenticity of objects, but about people and life. So, what does authenticity mean in this context? The interpretation that seems to be most common in our everyday conversations is “be who you are“. I will quickly go to complicating this thought a little and add another part: “become what you are“. A person that builds his or her authenticity also changes and evolves. An authentic life is not (always) an instinctive thing, but a result of a built self-awareness. Both thoughts are true in their own way, but they have to be properly understood. And the messages I am preparing will help you to gain this understanding.
I have encountered authenticity in many different ways and have made the journey from initial readings about the topic, to understanding and integrating it into my life, and now to crafting messages for others. It is a characteristic and a skill that is a powerful weapon for building personal resilience and safety from burnout; if you live an authentic life, you cease to battle against yourself and against needs of your body. You learn to listen to the signals, and then learn to find success and build your life on that foundation.
It is the content that lies at the heart of every step of personal growth. And as content, it explains how to create (relatively lasting) positive feelings in oneself, such as contentment, motivation, success, stability and others. And as a theory it is part of the field of knowledge called positive psychology.
A first peek into the meaning of the term
In this first (slightly shorter) post, I will not go into a deeper explanation, but I will leave you with some first thoughts on authentic living. The basic definition goes like this: an authentic person is aware of, accepts, and fully embraces his or her inner experience.
This interpretation, like any other, brings within a lot of meaning, so maybe pause for a while. It is about the wholesome positive attitude towards oneself – a positive relationship with everything that goes on (and can be sensed) inside. An authentic person does not get angry and hostile towards signals of own body, like physical or mental discomfort. What body gives or tells, are signals, and are messages for personal growth, etc. An authentic person is a person who does not fight against own feelings, but embraces them. A person who does not fight against signals of the body, but learns from these signals. A person who understands the role of personal beliefs and values in building their own satisfaction.
And maybe one more thought: an authentic person has a real, true picture of him/herself. Just as important as life experiences themselves is also how we understand those experiences. Why personal growth matters, for example, is because as children we lived through some experience with low awareness. As children, we are not able to see with clarity and evaluate our experiences with reason. And when we are older, we would see those same experiences differently; and take out of them (possibly very) different lessons. That is one of the foundations of personal therapies. But, more about it all in following writings …
Theoretical source for the notes
In considering this topic and drafting the messages, I take as a theoretical basis an article named at the end of this post. While its primary purpose is to address the development of authenticity in leadership (for leaders and followers), I have focused on the general or universal knowledge it provides on this concept.
Authors of the article are W. L. Gardner, B. J. Avolio, F. Luthans, D. R. May and F. Walumbwa, and the original title is “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The article was published in Leadership Quarterly 16 (2005).
Paradim 