The term “authenticity” refers to what is real, genuine, or true, as explained Lehmann et al. in 2019. If we take it to people, authenticity is being true to oneself. It means that you aspire to always be yourself at all times and in all situations, with other people and even when you are alone, something for which self-confidence is essential.
This authenticity makes us more secure and independent, gives us self-confidence, and “makes us better able to navigate conflict.” and be vulnerable with others, because confident people don’t look for external validation”, as explained by Dr. Cortney S. Warrenlicensed clinical psychologist at Harvard University.
In fact, being authentic is associated with psychological well-being and active participation in work and life, according to this meta-analysis of 75 studies published in 2020. And although it may seem like an innate quality, this 2022 study found that some aspects of authenticity can be learned.
But the question is how we get it. How we can work on authenticity to gain security and trust. Well, developing four skills that self-confident people have and with which we will be able to act according to our beliefs and values, as explained by Cortney S. Warren herself.
watch yourself
Observing ourselves is a perfect tool for learning. The psychologist talks about being “open to new information about oneself”and invites us to dedicate a few minutes a day to an introspection work in which we analyze not only what we feel, but also what we think and how we behave, being critical of ourselves.
Identify your values
If we want to be authentic, the truth is that we have to know what our values are, to act accordingly with them. The psychologist recommends making “a list of what matters most to you right now.” For example, loyalty, honesty or family.
Analyze whether or not you are consistent with what you do
As we have explained to you before, a self-confident person is the one who thinks and acts in the same way. Cortney S. Warren claims that It is essential to ask ourselves if there are inconsistencies between what we think and how we act and if the answer is yes, try to change it in the future.
work your self esteem
“The better you feel about yourself, the easier it will be to be yourself no matter what situation you find yourself in.“, Explain. So, working our self-esteemand learning to deal with criticism we will gain security. Learning from mistakes is the only way to not make them again, so it’s up to us work self love.
Photos | Mike Von and Giulia Bertelli in Unsplash
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