WEEKLY WISDOM - AUTHENTICITY

Authenticity: Being true to your own personality, values, and spirit, regardless of the pressure that you're under to act otherwise. Being true to one's character. It’s also about sharing your uniqueness with the world and living genuinely.

For you to be authentic in life, you must be authentic with yourself. For you to be authentic with yourself, you must know yourself. This means that you should take an introspective look at who you are so that you can be true to yourself at all times.

A definition for authenticity is being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character. How do you define your personality? How does your spirit follow true wisdom? What defines your character? All these questions require work to know the true you. There are several ways to get to know the real you such as personality tests, feedback from others and their perception of you, understanding your family’s history for additional information, and examining your previous decisions that highlight your leadership patterns. I believe the best way to know yourself and to lead in an authentic way is to pursue the Almighty, All-knowing, All-seeing God for guidance, insight, and wisdom.

Authenticity also requires growth. That growth process continues to evolve in understanding how God wants you to show up in every situation, how you should be responding to others especially if there is tension or disagreement, how you should lead in prosperous as well as challenging times, and how you can transform into the best version of yourself consistently.

Let’s be clear, authenticity doesn’t mean doing whatever makes “you” happy or saying whatever “you” want to say to whomever you want to say it to in whatever manner you want to say it. Some people refer to that as speaking “their” truth. It is not calling people out without regards to their feelings. It is certainly not getting ahead in life or in your career pursuits at the expense of others.

Authenticity is a constant examination of yourself and being honest about your motives and intentions that impact your decisions and actions. Being authentic is about your growth and grounding as a person and leader.  To lead others, it is imperative that you know yourself. By basing your being and beliefs in the one true God, pledging your allegiance to Jesus Christ who saves, and being led by the Holy Spirit; that’s where you will find your authentic self. You were placed on this earth to be an imitator of the ultimate example of authenticity, Christ. If this was not a guaranteed winning proposition, it would never have been presented.

I have discovered that the discipline, consistency, and examination of oneself gets you closer and closer every day to the core of who you are authentically. Ephesians 2:10 confirms this. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Stay focused! Stay diligent! Stay alert! Stay ready! Stay true!

Your authenticity will bring life to your life and to all those who encounter you. 

(EQUIPPING)

Exercise Your Power this week

1.  Have a conversation with another brother about what makes you authentic and how you show up.

2. Determine to show up in your career this week with intentionality on authenticity.

3. Identify what characteristics and traits make you authentic and record them in your phone or tablet.