How I Earned The Right To Be Myself

- JD Gagnon  February 27, 2019 0 Comment Blog

In one of my recent videos I was talking about being real and how to be the best version of yourself. I also mentioned the fact that I feel like my team and I have finally earned the right to be ourselves, and that’s what I wanted to dig into today. 

Fake it ‘til you make it?

Everywhere I look, I see fakeness and inauthenticity. I realize “fakeness” isn’t technically a word, but I’m not sure how else to describe it. Everyone is so worried about looking new, inexperienced, or not as smart as the next guy — I’ll admit, I used to be that way, too. It took me a long time to overcome those insecurities and get past the imposter syndrome thing, but here’s the important part of this story. 

 I didn’t get over those things by being fake. I didn’t get over my insecurities as an entrepreneur by pretending to be something that I wasn’t or by being dishonest about my experience. I didn’t spend years crafting an immaculate Instagram feed so that people would believe I was living some easy, glamorous lifestyle and making millions in year one. 

 I mentioned this in the video because it’s something that so many people fail to see. When you’re being fake, everyone knows it. Just because they don’t call you out doesn’t mean they didn’t notice. If you don’t normally wear a suit and tie, you’re not going to be comfortable in one. It’s really that simple. I’m not saying you should walk around looking like a slob, but it’s about being the best version of YOU — not someone else entirely. 

So how did I finally earn the right to be myself?

Authenticity is key in everything that you do. Whether it’s marketing your business, building your team, or even managing your marriage or friendships, you’ve GOT to be real. If you’re not, people will notice and things will fall apart because no one will feel like they can trust you. 

In business, how do you earn the right to be yourself? When can you be sure that the best version of yourself is good enough to present to the world? Here’s the secret. 

You do a better job than everyone else. 

You work harder than everyone else. 

You take accountability for absolutely everything. 

You do these three things day in and day out, until. 

I know that everyone was hoping for some confidence-boosting advice that will get you back on the beach, but that’s just not reality. You need to do the work! You need to put in the time. You need to figure out what you’re good at and keep honing that skill. You need to give a shit about the results. You need to treat every single customer like they’re the only one you’ll ever have. When you learn how to treat every opportunity like it’s “do or die”, suddenly you’ll look around and realize you’ve built something from nothing. 

 That, my friend, is how you earn the right to be yourself!

Yourself is awesome 

Here’s the thing . . . having the guts to be yourself and truly put yourself out there is not easy. Business can be crushing some days and the worst days and weeks will have you questioning both your sanity and your life choices. But the freedom and peace that come from being authentic, from always being honest with yourself and the people around you, is what will give you the strength to keep fighting the good fight. 

 If it’s written all over your face and your overpriced suit that you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. Trust in yourself and do your absolute best every single day and you will EARN the right to be yourself in your business.

 Didn’t catch the video yet? Watch it here.