Authenticity Under Fire
June 13th, 2008 by AdministratorLately I have become aware of a lot of buzz around the word, ‘authentic.’ In a world populated by so much that is false and not what it appears to be, we long for the ability to trust that some things can be real and true. Ensuring that someone is who they say they are can be difficult at best especially online because the Internet allows people to hide behind aliases and self-created public identities. Therefore, it can be challenging to really know who you are dealing with when you interact with people online.
There is also the very public nature of the Internet as a communication medium, and whatever you post online could potentially be seen by an audience that you have no control over. These and other factors combine to make me a bit hesitant to share too much about my authentic self online. There is always that underlying fear that someone for whose eyes that information was not intended might see it, or there is the possibility that the person you are communicating with is being less than genuine and could mean you harm. Then there is that fear of going out on a limb and sharing from your heart and then not being understood or worse ridiculed for your views.
Recently I came across this great quote from one of my favorite authors, Dr. Suess. He said, wisely:
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” ~Dr. Suess
Taking this sentiment to heart has served to inspire me to be more authentic in what I write and not worry so much about how it is perceived. As long as my intentions remain pure, I am certain that my words will resonate with those who are meant to receive the message. There will always be negative voices in this world. Haters, if you will, who derive pleasure from diminishing the work of others while contributing nothing themselves.
So, I challenge those who are reading this to take a moment and think about how you present yourself. Does the concept of ‘fake it ’til you make it’ cause you to present yourself as something that you are not? I say be who you are. The world does not need any more posers. We need to hear and embrace positive, authentic voices that come from a place of integrity and the intention to build others up–to add value rather than simply inflate or promote their own ego and hidden agenda.
Authenticity can be perceived and it will help your message to rise above the clutter and noise in the marketplace of ideas. Say you’ll join me as I move toward truly being who I am and expressing my authentic self with the world.
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June 13th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Hello. I’m with you. I’m all about being who I am. I like to think that most of who I am comes across loud and clear. BTW, I am now a member of Productive Pen. Thanks *smile*
June 29th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
First, a small suggestion; I wouldn’t force people to register to make a comment, as it doesn’t encourage people to leave one. I usually don’t register, but wanted to comment on this post.
Second, I agree with your comments on authenticity. One of the ways I decided to offer that on my blog was to post a picture of myself so people could see who was writing those words. It’s hard to hide when your picture is out there like that, and it means you’re not afraid to stand behind your words.
It has been a big topic when concerning blogging lately also, as you said, because people start to question the reason why someone blogs in the first place; is it to share, make money, agitate, etc? I like your Dr. Seuss quote above; I may steal that someday.