One of my favorite writers is Oscar Wilde, who once said: “Be yourself, everybody else is taken”.
But what does it mean to be yourself? And what does it mean to be yourself in business? I have lived a life pretty much off the beaten track, which interestingly enough, is also what I coach creatives, bloggers and businesses to do today, successfully.
The secret is this; Our life story is the most empowering and important element when we wish to express our authenticity – as bloggers, entrepreneur and even as a large corporation.
What is essential in this regard, is that we first learn how to connect with our own history, and then turn this narrative into a story of inspiration, wisdom and belonging.
History isn’t just what happened in the past, it’s what leads us to where we are today. In fact, we are history in action! One way to view history, is to see it as an account of accumulated life experiences. It is these experiences, that connect us across cultures, centuries and our many diversities, and in the end, connect us deeply together. It is this deeper sense of connection that is so important for the source of our authenticity.
Recent research shows that how we think about our cultural history shapes how we view ourselves and our place in this world. Why wouldn’t this count for you as a creative storyteller and business person as well?
We are limiting ourself by copying and mimicking influencers and celebrities, when our own story will provide us with the greatest gift of empowerment ever available, our authenticity and unique individuality!
This is how I see the problem: with the rise of modern narcissistic individualism, we have increasingly been pushed to treat ourselves, our relationships and our friendships, as a business. We are constantly being told ‘be yourself, be authentic’ when we at the same time, clearly are being told, that we are not good enough. The demands for being ‘good enough’ are today both disturbing and unhealthy!!
Authenticity has become a sales word nobody really understands, and the Social Media platforms create so much loneliness, disconnection to reality and a low sense of worth, that it’s not even funny (I wrote about this in my blog Blogpreneurs & Mental Health).
So how can we be authentic, when we are constantly told we are not good enough? And how can we, as individuals, stand out from the crowd, when so many others are saying, looking and doing the same things?
This is where our history and cultural inheritance comes in! In part 2 of my Authenticity blogs, I will delve even deeper into how we can use our history and cultural inheritance, to become authentic, connected and heart-centred entrepreneurs, bloggers and business owners.
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