Inauthenticity

Let’s talk today about inauthenticity.

You have in life one thing that you can hold true to who you are, and that’s your word.

Your word is like gold.

It’s like an exchange of money.

Every time you speak you’re making promises to other people, and in doing so you should be aware of other people.

But most important, your word is about being authentic to yourself.

Along time ago, I made a pact with myself to be completely authentic to who I AM.

I’m not saying I’m perfect; I’ve had inauthentic moments throughout my entire life; I’ve done things that I’m sure some people wish I didn’t do; I’ve broken promises—I’m human.

But it doesn’t mean that it’s not too early to start being authentic.

Being an authentic man is a very powerful feeling. It means that whatever you say, you mean.

People are going to take you literally in life, so choose your words wisely. Because if someone takes you literally, and they expect something of you, and you don’t come through, then you look inauthentic to them—and it could mean a world of hurt.

We all have trigger points in our life, and a main trigger point for many people is inauthenticity.

How many times do kids like myself get left with a baseball bat, standing there and wanting dad to go play baseball with us, and dad never would? How many kids with divorced homes are waiting for their dad to pick them up, and dad doesn’t show up because he has a new girlfriend that’s more important than his kid?

We, as a culture, have grown up around inauthenticity our entire life.

But as adults, we have the power to be authentic. Sure, we’re going to make mistakes. Sure, we’re going to hurt people along the way. And when we do, we make sure that we need to apologize, first and foremost. Take responsibility for being inauthentic at that moment.

This is one of the greatest lessons. You’re going to be out there in this world. You’re going to be trying to date, meet, and be a better person. And the only way to do that is to be authentic.

Authenticity is your word and your word is all you have.

Your word is more important than the money in your wallet. Your word is more important than the car you drive.

Your word is what people are going to rely on. And your next relationship is going to be based on you following through on your word.

A lot of people can talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk. Authentic people talk the talk, walk the walk, and when they don’t, they make sure that they correct any mistakes and any hurts that they’ve done.

Because I’ve seen many relationships go spiraling downward due to innocent inauthentic behavior that was never corrected.

Your word, it’s like currency. Use your words wisely, and back them up by action, and you’ll become an authentic, powerful person that people will respect.