Success Champions from authentes “person who did a particular thing”
Brain Drippings
How to be Authentic ...Authentically Or How to not Look Like an Obnoxious Jerk
By Donald R Dodson, Jr.
T “We struggle with being different, authentic or our weird-ass selves because we never DO ANYTHING with that! We don’t turn that “authentic self” that we are, into purpose and action.”
he brash young man haughtily declares in his livestream, “Like, I am just being authentic! Lettin’ my freak flag fly ya know? I dig (insert “weird” hobby or proclivity here) Now buy my stuff, cuz I am being REAL.” Let’s face it, this is bullshit. You’ve all come across this crap. Folks who are maybe even actually being authentic, but it doesn’t make sense. Or, worse it feels, well, forced or even -- fake! Why is this popular buzzword -- authenticity – often used so poorly? Perhaps we don’t even realize it. See, the word and its related roots and phrases, have been watered down to a shallow “be yourself ”. For a craftsman such as myself it holds even deeper value and meaning but let’s dig into the word itself and maybe shed some light. Cracking open the dust-covered digital dictionary, your humble author blows dust from the cracked pages and shares what he finds:
“Etymology: from 1340, “authoritative”, from Old French autentique, from Medieval Latin authenticus, from the Greek authentikos “ original, genuine, principal,.” Originally from Greek authentikos, it was a derivative of the noun authentes, “doer, master”, which was formed from autos, “self ” and the base -hentes, “worker, doer, being” Ok. A bit tricky. Not simple (which is why we are in this mess) Lets look at this one. “authentic (1300-1400) Old French autentique, from Late Latin, from Greek authentikos,
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Now, we are getting somewhere. See the theme? The master/owner/person is the one who DID something. And because they did it, we know its “real” – its, you guessed it, “authentic”. A key part though is there is an ACTION! Here is another that I particularly felt drawn to: “that what you do with your own hands” The craftsman in me loves this! There are two aspects to authenticity. The “authentic self or being” aspect – the psychology of who our genuine self is. This is the one we see the most. And, then there is “authentic action” – this is the manifestations in actions and deeds of our authentic selves. This is us doing something authentically with purpose derived from what we are. But why has so much been focused on the authentic being and not taking action? I think there are a few reasons. So, lets unpack this. We see this authentic – “Be your weird-ass self ” promoted a great deal in part because of the head trash we have. We are taught to be humble and to “fit in”. Hell, our parents and grandparents come from a period where you had to be “the Man in the Grey suit” and blend in, to do your part for the greater good! We come pre-loaded with an adverse reaction to being different. Certainly, this has improved. But we often are fighting in our own heads significant doubt or lack of self-worth. It’s also pretty scary to put ourselves out there. We can spend years “working on ourselves “and never really figure out “who we are”. But there is another reason why this is an ongoing and popular theme and it might surprise you in its shocking simplicity. This is where the action part comes in. We struggle with being different, authentic or our weird-ass selves because we never DO ANYTHING with that! We don’t turn that “authentic self ” that we are, into purpose and action. If you leverage that authentic self into active expression, then you suddenly have a more sustainable and realistic affirming sense of self because it means something to someone else. A truly authentic teacher or coach teaches because
