Editor’s note: I originally posted this in October 2008. Now, one year later, I’m revisiting authenticity. Enjoy!
I have found it – the definition of authenticity! Sure, there are plenty of Toms, Dicks, and Harrys out there who claim to know all about “authentic” life styles. They say, “Listen to me. I can guide you to happiness!” Then they charge you an arm and a leg. But I think I have found the real definition of authenticity. Here it is, for free I might add. (You’re welcome!)
It comes by way of Brian Goldman, a graduate student at the University of Georgia in Athens. He was digging through centuries-old research and philosophy when he uncovered what I think is a pretty great definition:
“The unimpeded operations of one’s true or core self in one’s daily enterprise.”
Ohhh … pretty! How simple and sweet is that, huh?
I agree completely with it too, which you probably already knew because I’ve been using the same definition of authenticity for quite sometime now.
Another one of my favorites is Neil Lark Warren’s 10 Characteristics in Finding Contentment. I’ve also recently been struck by so-called physical acts of authenticity, which the authors outlined in a newer issue of Psychology Today.
These physical acts of authenticity are:
1. Meditate. Think of it only as a way to get to your “happy place,” not a technique to influence outside forces. For instance, why do you work? To earn money to buy pretty things. Why do you meditate? To achieve internal happiness. I can handle that.
2. Be Deliberate. Be conscious that you have choices. You can choose to change (lol–”I choose change!”), or you can choose to stick with what you have. You can choose to move forward, go backward, or do nothing at all. Being deliberate simply means acting consciously, with purpose.
3. Act Intuitively. Sure, you got me; this runs counter to No. 2. But as we’ve talked about before, acting consciously can sometimes be detrimental when too much rationalizing and reasoning gets in the way of your gut feelings. Don’t be afraid to follow your instincts. They’re there to guide you forward.
4. Create Solitude. There’s nothing like shutting down–on purpose–so you can recharge. We’re talking power down your blackberry, shut your door, turn off the TV and the laptop, and provide yourself the space to just thing and be. Authentic people regularly look inside and listen to their intuition, but they can’t do this with all the chaos of the modern world swirling around them.
5. Stay Connected. Thomas Moore, author of A Life at Work, says, “Community is an outlook toward life in which you define yourself in relation to the world around you, rather than only in connection with yourself.” Community, he is saying, is a way to enlarge our own sense of self.
6. Play Hard. Don’t hold back when doing what you really love, whether it’s tennis, running, art, dancing. It allows you to fully express who you are at your core.
7. Be Willing to Lose. Authentic people know that failure is part of growing. You must be willing to stare down your failures, learn from them, and move forward if you are to live an authentic life.
I take no credit for the above definitions. But I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of taking personal responsibility for life’s challenges. That means peering inside for answers on why we do what we do, feel what we feel, and think what we think. It’s only through an authentic life that we can look internally, and take personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is the genius of change!
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October 13th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
What great rules to live by! I find in my personal life it’s pretty easy to be “authentic.” When it comes to my writing, however, I was always worried that I wasn’t doing it right. I took a break (for a whole week gasp!) and realized I just needed to be me when I write. I write what I want, when I want, and however I want. It so much easier now!
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
I have been working hard on living from my authentic self. It hasn’t been easy to get there and I am not there completely yet but I am making progress. The closer I get the more fulfilled I am. I recently quit my job and started my own business which fits who I am so much better. I have never been happier professionally. I continue to work on me personally. I do struggle with meditation. Any advice on that?
September 30th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Great subject of mine, but as a counselor I feel it is a bit too smooth and represents your own effort to attract of those of similar opinions to agree on a standard definition of authenticity. Sorry, but I cannot agree with definitions which set the standard for everyone else to judge themselves by. Am I to understand that if I fit into these key points that someone else has defined, I am now authentic?
October 7th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Wow, that was a year ago? Time flies. I read my comment and I probably would write the same thing today. I’m still on the road to authenticity (I think it is a life long journey) and I still struggle with meditation. I have started exercising since writing this and one of my classes is a yoga class. That has been helpful with my journey. It calms me and is just fun.