Who are you really?

It sounds like an easy question right - who are you?

But really... who are you?

Some of the best people I know, I love, because they know who they really are, and are unapologetic about it.

And that unapologetic self, might annoy people, but they simply don't alter (too much) how they act in light of that annoyance.

And I envy that skill hugely.

I would consider myself an authentic person, however, if you really, truly, hold up that mirror, how much have I, how much do you; adjust and change what I say, how I say it, in light of who I'm around?

Much of that change, I think, is born from necessity.

Especially when you are younger; in order to be successful within a social group, most of us have to become experts in those slight adaptations and changes needed in order to be accepted.

I see it in my children as they start to make those slight changes to who they really are, as they grow up, in order to form relationships with those around them. As a parent, I'm doing all I can to walk that line between bringing up children who are authentically and unapologetically them... and also children who are not going to end up either horrendously bullied or, come across as really arrogant and generally a bit like a d**k!

Part of learning and growing, is about figuring out which parts of your personality to lean into, which roles and ideas fit, and which don't.

as adults, we talk a lot about authentic leadership, but when you meet a new leader - I wonder; how much are they really being authentic, really being their self?

How much are they acting like they think a leader should be?... Or have they become so heavily defined by their role (be that work, home, community) that they become completely who they think a person in that role to be rather than how they are within that role meaning that they are conflicted between who they should and could be, with who they are. What would happen if that role were to be striped away, who would they be then?

I don't think "being authentic" is really that easy, because being who you really are, is really hard!

If anything in this blog resonates with you, please share, spread the love, and encourage the self reflection needed for us all to be a bit more like who we really are.