The word authenticity gets thrown around. A lot.

It’s the forever-hot button word that people use when telling you that you need to be “real.” Society especially loves to cite authenticity when it comes to entrepreneurs.

There are a few ways to define authenticity, but my definition is “someone who is comfortable with who they are.”

In other words, when I think of someone who is authentic, I think of someone who does what they love. She says the things that need to be said, no matter how hard. He lives his life to the fullest extent–everyday is the best day.

On the flipside, when I think of someone who is inauthentic, I think of someone unfulfilled and miserable. Because how can you be happy if you’re not being true to yourself?

Of course, authenticity (or lack thereof), applies to who you are, as well as your business.

So even if you’re “generally a fantastic person,” with great ideas, and a perfect business model…if you’re living life inauthentically, everything you touch will be inauthentic. That’s right. You’ll be the Midas of Inauthenticity (scientific term right there, y’all).

As the Midas of Inauthenticity, you’ll go out of your way to make your employees’ lives unfulfilled and miserable. Your processes will be unfulfilled and miserable. Your user onboarding experience will be unfulfilled and miserable. Your message will be unfulfilled and miserable.

Everything about your business will be–you guessed it–unfulfilled and miserable.

What can you do about this inauthenticity?

Listen to your intuition. What do you want in this life? Too often, we forget to listen to our intuition because “everyone else is doing it this way, not that way.”

Much of anyone’s inauthenticity comes from trying to be people we’re not meant to be (much to our detriment and no one else’s).

Today, I invite you to start living authentically. Do what you want to do–do what feels right. Take the next big leap that will satisfy you.

If you’ve always wanted to go skydiving, go do it.

If you’ve been unsure of working with an investor just because he’s the “hotshot” everyone recommends, don’t work with the dude.

If you’re afraid to ship a side project because you worry about what others will think of you, fucking ship it anyway.

After all, it’s your life.
The only one who can waste it is you.

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March 2015 Issue