It can be a bit terrifying to put oneself out there, embracing vulnerability with openness that one won’t be accepted for who they are.
There was a point of time in my life when I was afraid that I would fail by being my true self. That I had to aspire to be the ideal caricature of a person I had in my head in order to be successful.
About two or three years ago it dawned on me… well, to be me. That’s all I had to do. Be authentic. Let my guard down. Maybe be a bit casual at times. Crack jokes. Instead of a voice in the back of my head worrying that I don’t look old enough, or my outfit isn’t corporate enough, or I don’t sell a good enough story… that voice could go away if I was being true to me. Then I could focus on what I was actually talking about.
With life changes come work changes. And I’ve had my fair share of the former. By surrounding myself with people who love my whole self in life, it has allowed me to bring my complete self to work.
I feel this world needs a bit of authenticity. And the cool thing is, it breeds on itself. One person opens up, is vulnerable, shares something, then someone else does too. And suddenly there’s a connection beyond the superficial. We all have a story. There’s no need to get into all of the details, but it’s important to remember that we’re all people at the end of the day, and we say and do things because of everything we’re bringing to the table that makes us who we are. It’s nice to be heard and understood, and accepted.
Let’s all double down on who we are.
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