Authentic vs. Fake

Welcome back to Transformational Tuesdays — a weekly spot where we discuss what can come up on your journey to transforming your life into a life that you love. 

This week’s topic is interesting because it absolutely comes up on our route to transformation. We hear all the time about authenticity. And I was really thinking about what that means, and how a lot of us are seeking to be our true selves. 

But what does it actually mean, and how can we take the first steps on that path?

To me, authenticity means a re-discovering of who we’re really meant to be. 

We start off in this world as a clean slate. And then we have things that are piled onto us: our personality, our expectations, what we are supposed to do, and who we’re supposed to be. 

So we form into this being that is dictated by a lot of other things and a lot of other outside influences. And at some point in our lives we start feeling something a bit off. 

That feeling of something being off means we’ve just come mis-aligned with what we’re supposed to be doing and who we’re supposed to be. 

The opposite of authenticity: Fake A$$ 

When we pay more attention to the stuff that piles on us from outside sources, that’s when we can easily go into our “fake ass”. We all do it! We are all a fake ass at some point in our life. 

Fake ass is the persona that we put on so that we look a certain way to other people. 

It’s basically that need for belonging and for wanting people to like us — belonging is a key component of our being. 

So there’s nothing wrong with being in our fake ass personality, but you can tell when you’re in that mode when things don’t feel like they’re lined up. 

Fake in moderation 

There are times when we step into our fake ass personality a bit and it’s not harmful. For example, in my video above I have my hair done and made sure I looked presentable. I definitely didn’t wake up this way, and I made the effort for the video. That’s the part of me that wants to be accepted. 

There’s nothing wrong with fake in moderation — it’s when we’re being in our fake mode and going against the grain that it’s a problem. 

Next steps

What I want you to think about is how you’re being your authentic self. And just try it on for size! 

There’s nothing that you have to do what’s not your authentic self. 

So next time you’re doing something, just ask yourself: am I being real, or am I being my fake ass? And how would it feel if I changed into being real?