You know that dream about yuppies, with perfectly chiseled bodies, astrally projecting up the corporate ladder with ease and,  along the way, stopping off for Spin class and delicious keto snacks? Neither does anyone else. That’s because it isn’t real, even though pop culture and media would have you think otherwise. Everywhere you go, every day, there is great pressure to be something you aren’t.

What is Authenticity?

The call of authenticity resonates with the famous introduction by the Oracle of Delphi, “Know thyself.” But authenticity takes it a step further: “Don’t merely know thyself – be thyself.” 

A uthenticity is about presence: living in the moment with a sense of knowing and faith. You are just becoming aware of each step as it comes to you because the plan is already in motion, and you are following your instincts. Being authentic is living your life according to your values and goals, rather than those of other people, and despite pressure to conform. Nothing outside of you takes you off course. 

A uthenticity takes courage: you are honest with yourself and with others, and you take responsibility for your mistakes. Who you are, what you do and what you believe align perfectly.  As a result, you come across as genuine, and you are willing to accept the consequences of being true to what you consider to be right.  Authenticity is often the road less traveled.

“To be authentic, we must first cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable.  We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. There is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity.” – Brené Brown 

A n authentic person puts the people around them at ease, like a faithful old friend who welcomes you in and makes you feel at home.  Authenticity carries with it a feeling of familiarity, a feeling of “home.”

A uthentic people are deep-thinking, thoughtful, and introspective. They call upon an inner-reserve of wisdom and instinct to add meaning and value to other people’s lives.

B eing true to yourself generates a sense of well-being and confidence. You respect other people’s feelings and needs, and it shows. Your mindset is uncluttered. Answers come quickly. There is a clarity about you to which others sense and respond. It is a newfound freedom to be yourself: a kind of prosperity that carries timeless, lasting value. 

Developing authenticity is a lifelong journey, a continual process of becoming: never perfect but always genuine.

Do you ever feel as if you are someone other than yourself? Perhaps you think you have to behave a certain way, or to say certain things to your friends or colleagues, so that you’ll be accepted. Instead of being yourself, you are playing a role to fit in, or to impress others. You tell people what you think they want to hear, or act in a way that goes against your true self.

Living inauthentically can be exhausting, soul-killing, or isolating. Ultimately, it holds us back from reaching our true potential. Authenticity is about being true to yourself, to what is in your heart.  

Authenticity as a prosperity plan

Our values are changing quickly. In the past, money was largely a matter of survival, i.e., the root chakra. More and more, however, money is becoming a matter of the heart: “I love myself enough to receive”. When we give ourselves permission to be ok, to be our authentic selves, we can live free from others’ ideas and expectations, and we can chart our own course in life. Prosperity flows from authenticity.

Here are some things you can do to foster authenticity in your life:

• Nurture yourself through self-love: e.g., meditation, journaling, letting go, organizing your space, walking in nature.
• Celebrate your strengths, and be willing to accept your limitations.
• Honor yourself in the moment – whom you thought you once were or what you are becoming isn’t as important as who you are right now.
• Be brave and live courageously. It is hard to be yourself, but doing so is your gift to the world. It gets easier the more you do it. 

“You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are.”  – Amy Poehler