Living Authentically: Why It Matters & How to Do It

Over the last few years I’ve been really interested in the term “Authenticity.” Partly because it is thrown around so much and sounds pretty pretentious. And partly because I spent so much of my life consciously and unconsciously trying to define myself in a singular, unified way.  I thought living authentically meant figuring out the one label that best described me and then tailoring all my choices and actions into that one type.

It’s kind of like the stereotypical high school archetypes: the jocks, the nerds, the drama geeks, etc. When we associate with a distinct identity or group, we feel certain and safe. We know what to say and how to act. The problem is that human beings aren’t that simple. We’re complex, ever-changing, and inconsistent. As we develop more mature ways of thinking about ourselves, we feel conflicted: We acknowledge growth, yet still want a unified and consistent identify that we can hang our hat on at any given moment. It doesn’t matter if we label ourselves in a positive or negative light, a single identity creates stagnation.