Is Authenticity the new Fake?

In existentialism, being genuine means doing things that match what you believe and want, even when others want you to do something different. Now, how can you stay real when building your personal brand, which is all about creating a certain image to fit what people want? It’s like, “What makes me special to the person in front of me? What do I promise when I walk into the room?”

The truth is, it’s hard. They say being yourself is super important in personal branding, but it’s tough because you have all these rules to follow.

I’m not a personal branding expert, but when I help people tidy up their stories, they often tell me they’re stressed about trying to be authentic. It’s a constant struggle, trying to be you but not too much you.

And it gets even trickier because feeling real isn’t the same as actually being real. A psychology professor, Jennifer Beer, says being genuine is kind of tricky. Most people think it means acting based on your own values, but research says people feel most real when they act in ways that society thinks are good, like being outgoing, stable, organized, smart, and agreeable.

In personal branding, being real depends on fitting in with what the people you’re targeting like.

So, here’s the bottom line: let’s forget about arguing over what’s authentic. Instead, let’s clean up your stories in a way that makes you happy. This way, I can help you own your story without worrying too much about what others think.