Authenticity: Who Are You Really?

Who Am I, Who Do I Want To Be
Who are you? Do you really know? In self-help and psychology circles, there is a lot of talk about authenticity. Authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one's own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures and influences. More simply put, authenticity refers to being the real you with that other artificial stuff stripped away. It is well accepted that people who live authentically, most in their true selves, are more likely to live a meaningful life. It is good to live with authenticity and strive for a life of meaning and purpose but it can be especially hard in our current culture.

In Today's World It Can Be Challenging To Develop Authenticity
We live in a world that moves at a very fast pace. Our world offers nearly unlimited choices with regard to entertainment, food, consumer goods and the limitless distractions in the form of TV, IPods, video games and more. It can be really fun, but like a busy theme park, it might not be the right focus for our everyday lives. We worry about having money to enjoy these things, buy more and do more. Sure shiny cars are fun and nice clothes feel good but is any of that extra stuff at all about who you are?

What Authenticity Looks Like
Who is your authentic self and how do you find more time in your day to be and develop that true self so that you can add meaning to your life? I think authenticity exists in all of us. There are differences in us as individuals but there are some elements that exist in all of us. These similarities are built upon cooperation, sharing, harmony and a reverence for life. Ubuntu captures this so well for me which is why I think it is such a good tool to help us all develop more of these qualities. I think these qualities are in us all, sometimes perhaps buried beneath what life can pack on over the years, hurts, disappointment, the often unfairness of life.

As humans, we are hardwired to form communities, to cooperate, to learn everyday with enthusiasm and to celebrate life. It is the artificial pleasures of life that can pull us away from our true selves. So who are you? Who do you want to be? You create your best self not by being a perfect human all the time. You become your best self moment by moment and choice by choice until you embody the best qualities of your self more of the time than not.