Authenticity is The New Currency!

Introduction

Hi there, fellow growth seeker and change-maker!

More than ever, inauthenticity has become a virus that you learn to live with, but at what cost? Regardless of what issues you may be experiencing, somewhere, somehow, inauthenticity has something to do with it. No matter whom I help, high achievers, leaders, business owners, celebrities, or CEOs of fortune 500 organisations, one thing they all have been impacted by is the karmic consequences of inauthentic living.

Before I share more, let me thank you for choosing to be part of the tribe that loves to Unfakeably Influence The World. I trust my previous newsletter topic, The Science of Cultivating Influence, was valuable for you, your family, relationship, entrepreneurial, career, business, and financial success journey.

Living inauthentically is more dangerous than you think.

In the Authenticity is The New Currency article, I aim to reveal more about why investing in learning to live, lead, and love authentically is crucial to your wellbeing, growth, success, leadership, relationships and influence. Furthermore, you will learn more about The Cost of Lies, Mental Health Implications, Leadership Failures Caused By Inauthentic Living and 4 Ways Inauthentic Living Is Dangerous For You. I trust it will encourage you to see just some of the issues that can arise from living a life that is not true to yourself.

This brings me to this quote by C.G.Jung. "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."

It took me a long time to really "get" what this quote is trying to teach us. Discovering your genuine, authentic self suddenly unlocks a world of potential. ?? Being your authentic self means you're no longer struggling internally. Instead, everything slots into place -- and you're ready to unfakeably conquer and influence the world. ??

The cost of lies, dishonesty, and inauthenticity are greater than you might imagine. There are many costs to living a life that isn't true to yourself—the first is the opportunity cost: what else could have been done with all that time? You can also look at the direct costs like guilt, shame, or even legal issues (lying on your resume). But there are indirect costs, too: loss of friends or family members who don't want to be associated with someone who is being dishonest in some way; lower productivity due to stress; and decreased satisfaction from life overall because there's an underlying sense that something isn't right about this person's life choices. Research shows that people will do almost anything just so long as it doesn't make them feel bad about themselves!

The dangers of inauthentic leadership have been well documented by psychologists studying social influence techniques such as compliance tactics used by con artists (e.g., "Sir/Madam, please give me money"). Once they gain our trust, they ask us for favours—"Here's my kid... I need some money." Or "I lost my wallet at work... Can I borrow $20?" We usually oblige but later regret these decisions because they cause us discomfort, both situational (i got scammed) and psychological (now I'm embarrassed).

The Cost of Lies

If you're not being authentic, you're losing more than just your reputation. You are also forfeiting the trust and respect of others in your life. People who don't believe what you say won't listen to your suggestions or advice.

They will also be less likely to share their ideas with you or seek feedback because they won't see it as necessary. In this way, authenticity is a two-way street: if we want others to be honest with us, it requires us to be honest with them first.

This doesn't mean that everyone needs to be completely transparent all the time—sometimes it's best for people not to know everything about each other—but it is wise to have a level of trust between friends or co-workers that makes honesty possible when necessary without fear of reprisal or judgmentalism from either party (which would make it hard for one person's truthfulness).

Mental Health Implications

You may wonder how a lack of authenticity can lead to mental health issues. Well, let's look at some of the most common symptoms of mental illness:

Anxiety and depression are both characterised by low self-esteem, self-worth and confidence. Lack of self-acceptance is also a predictor of anxiety disorders such as panic attacks or social phobia that manifest in fear or embarrassment about your body image, being judged by others and perceived failure.

Depression often arises from feeling stuck in old patterns that do not serve us anymore, but we are too afraid to change because we don't have faith in ourselves or our ability to thrive.

Perfectionism can also contribute to depression because it leads people to try hard but never feel good enough, no matter their achievements. This can cause them to feel like they should strive for something else instead, which will inevitably lead them back to their original pattern again!

Leadership Failures Caused By Inauthentic Living

• Lack of integrity
• Lack of honesty
• Lack of authenticity
• Lack of self-awareness
• Lack of self-confidence.

4 Ways Inauthentic Living Is Dangerous For You

Your life is a lot more important than you think it is.

You deserve to live in alignment with who you are and what makes you happy, but if you're not, it's time for some soul searching. When we do things that don't align with our authentic values, we feel like something's off. We might describe this feeling as "uneasy" or "uncomfortable." The funny thing about discomfort is that it's usually a sign that something needs to change; when something feels bad enough, we have no choice but to do something about it—or risk being miserable forever!

When we act inauthentically (when we're not true to ourselves), our actions can become toxic and hurtful to everyone around us. Once one person starts living an authentic life, others start noticing their lack of authenticity and want the same thing too! You'd be surprised how many people just want their lives back after they realise how much happier they would be if they just acted like themselves all the time instead of trying so hard to please everyone else all the time.

Why Inauthentic Living Doesn't Work Anymore...

In the past, people were willing to tolerate inauthenticity because it kept them safe. They didn't want to be told what to do or how to think, so they did what they were told. If a company told you that your product was "the best," it must be true—so why not buy it? In an era when you can find out almost anything online and make your own decisions about products and services, this kind of thinking no longer holds up.

The rise of social media has made us more connected than ever before and given us access to unlimited sources of information on which we can base our opinions (or create new ones). This has led to a paradigm shift: now, people expect authenticity from governments, businesses, clients, and brands—and if they can't get it from a company's marketing campaign or product description, there's always someone else who will provide what they need!

The Drawbacks of Inauthentic Living

You don't need me to tell you what's wrong with inauthentic living. The evidence is all around us in the rising cost of living, travel disruption, airport queues, divorce rates, stress levels, and self-loathing. But here are some statistics from a study by the University of California that underscore how detrimental inauthenticity can be:

• Inauthentic living is more dangerous than authentic living (40% more likely to die from a car accident)
• Inauthentic living is more expensive than authentic living (up to 30% higher monthly expenses)
• Inauthentic living is less healthy than authentic living (up to 40% less likely to live past 75)

Why Authenticity Is The New Currency?

In the same way, people used to exchange gold and silver for goods; we're now exchanging our time and attention for information. It's no longer enough to be able to buy or sell something; you must also have an authentic story behind it.

Authenticity is the new currency because we no longer trust individuals, movements, leaders, customers, clients or businesses that make false claims about themselves or their products. Consumers are so tired of being lied to that they are increasingly looking for meaning in their purchases: what does the brand stand for? What does it mean to me? How will this product change my life? If you can deliver on these questions, authenticity is yours!

Six years ago, based on campaigns that spread lies about the E.U., the country voted to leave the E.U., end our free movement, and face the worst disruption and inflation in forty years. Many voters have lost faith in the labour and the conservative government, feel politically homeless, and are victims of leaders living and leading inauthentically. The spread of lies, pie-in-the-sky promises, blame culture in Westminister, and the lack of integrity are also what lead to the conservative party ousting Boris Johnson from the government.

The Benefits Of Authentic Living & How It Can Help You To Succeed.

• It gives you the best chance of being successful.
• Authentic people are more likely to succeed in life because they better understand who they are and what they want. They make decisions based on their values and beliefs, rather than just trying to please others.
• It will help you become a better person overall.
• When we're inauthentic, our actions can have severe consequences for us and others around us. We might not realise how much damage we're doing until it's too late ( think Brexit, War in Ukraine, etc.) - but when we're being authentic, it's easier to keep each other safe from harm because we know where each other stand(s)!

3 Science-Backed Reasons Why It Pays to Be Authentic

• Authenticity is a more effective leadership style.
• Authentic leaders are more mindful and productive in the workplace.
• Authenticity is more effective in creating mindful workplace culture (even if it produces difficult conversations).
• Authentic leaders communicate better with their employees—that's good for business!

1. Build better relationships.

• Establishing authentic relationships is essential to the success of your company.
• Authentic leadership is more likely to be effective and respected by employees, which leads to higher employee retention rates.
• Authentic leaders are also more likely to be liked by their peers and colleagues, resulting in a more significant number of referrals for business opportunities.

Discover what The Unfakeable Code?'s five-step method can do for you, leaders, teams and employees to improve your performance, productivity and engagement. On each page of this inspired book, you will learn more about unleashing the power of authenticity and how to become more of who you truly are by tuning in to your angelic behaviours (instead of suppressing them and giving in to your animalistic behaviours).

A balanced approach to authenticity is a powerful tool for improving your performance, productivity and engagement. As leaders and managers of millennials (who are increasingly making up the workforce), it's essential to understand how authenticity influences an individual's behaviour and how best to leverage this in the workplace.

Authentic leadership involves becoming more of who you truly are—less concerned with what others think of you; more certain in your beliefs; confident in your abilities; being able to take risks without fear of failure (or rejection). Authentic relationships involve being seen as 'real' by others, being authentic yourself rather than trying to please everyone else, and accepting people for whom they are instead of trying to change them into something that suits you better.

The benefits for organisations include improved performance, productivity and employee engagement levels, which ultimately result in better opportunities for advancement at work – not just financially but also professionally!

Conclusion

Authenticity is the new currency. If you are not authentic, you will lose the trust of your partner, children, teams, customers and peers. It's time to be true to yourself and stop living a lie! Let me leave you with a question you can ponder:

Do you really... no, REALLY... know who you are? ??Are you being truly authentic in your daily life? If not, ask yourself: What could you stop worrying about which could help you be more authentic and aligned with your purpose? ??

I trust you got much value from this week's article. As your coaching partner, it will be an honour to work on accelerating your journey to being more authentic and grow your influence, impact and inspiration.

With combined expertise in engineering, technology, CBT, NLP, human behaviour, emotional intelligence, transformational life and business coaching, we can work on issues that can lead to more authentic living, leading, and loving. Some of the add-on benefits are growing your influence and thriving in any economy. You will start to feel more of who you indeed are, fulfilled, healthy, energised, sure, confident, and more in control of the rains of your life, including in your personal, relational, professional, business growth, and leadership strategy development.

Love and Wisdom

Tony J. Selimi - Award-Winning Author, Speaker, and Transformational Life and Business Coach Specialising in Human Behaviour, Leadership Excellence, and Maximising Human Potential. Winner of the London SME Most Visionary Entrepreneur 2020 award, Corporate Coaching and Recruitment Business Coach of the Year 2021 Award, Silver Winner of Literary Book Award 2021, and Maincreast Media Book Award 2021 for A Path to Wisdom, Loneliness, and The Unfakeable Code?. Winner of Book Excellence Award 2022! Author of the upcoming book A Path to Excellence, available in shops and globally from September 2022.

(Follow for more: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube.)

P.S. I work on a virtual basis and in-person with clients all over the globe, facilitating the realisation and accomplishment of personal, relational, professional, financial and business goals. Here are four ways I can assist you in creating life-changing breakthroughs, growth, and accelerating your journey to excellent health, influence, wealth, transformational leadership, and go from where you are to where you genuinely want to be in every critical area of life.

#1… Book a Breakthrough Consultation Session by sending an e-mail to?[email protected]. I invite those of you who are high achievers and change-makers to spend five or ten incredible days transforming what pains you into what inspires you by being privately coached and trained by me—taking place in beautiful locations worldwide. Booking yourself on Vital Planning Business and Life Mastery Training will assist you in learning new and more productive ways and proven methods, tools, and principles that can help you upgrade your psychology and achieve your wildest dreams. Together, we can help you deliver the ever-evolving purpose you want to share with the world.?

#2 ... Grab your copy of my #1 Amazon bestselling and Multi-Award-Winning books, A Path to Wisdom, #Loneliness, The Unfakeable Code?, and enrol in my Mindfulness for Higher Productivity, Performance, and Profitable Life Udemy Course! Click here to join thousands of my happy students.

#3 ... Make the fastest progress by hiring me to work with you on your business to train and grow your teams. Private message me, or e-mail my P.A. at [email protected] and put "private" in the subject line. Let her know a little about you or your business and why you would like to work together, and you'll get the quote, invoice, and the necessary booking details.

#4 ... Hire me as a speaker to educate, inspire and transform your audience at your next company or industry event. Click HERE to download my speaker sheet and fill in the form with your event info.