Returning to Your Authentic Self
When Warren Buffet walks into a room, he doesn't need to prove that he's rich, capable or smart to anyone. Most people in the room already know that he is all those things. And the ones that don't have no impact on Buffet's $76 billion net worth. Buffet doesn't wear expensive suits and he eats McDonald's everyday. He spends most of his day reading and playing bridge. But most importantly, he's world class at investing. He's found his authentic self and lives it every day.
Authenticity isn't something that you express only after you've made it. Being your authentic self is actually the best way to separate yourself from the competition and become successful in your chosen field. As entrepreneur and investor Naval Ravikant famously said, "Escape competition through authenticity."
However, for many of us, we think that the secret to success lies in being something other than ourself. We think that we have to be like other people in order to be successful. That's why we're obsessed with Elon Musk's morning routine, the way Jeff Bezos makes decisions, or the way Steve Jobs treated his employees. We think that we need to change ourselves in order to be successful, when in reality, we need to return to our authentic selves. Being our authentic selves — not trying to impress anyone, not trying to gain affirmation from anyone, not trying to gain validation from anyone — is the way we will ultimately become successful. We just need to get out of our own way and let our authenticity help us win.
I'll never forget this story about Eric Thomas, who talked about how he moved away from his authentic self while writing his book, all just to gain acceptance from 'intellectuals'. Now, Eric was already successful while he was writing the book, he was (and still is) the number 1 motivational speaker in the world. But Eric felt he needed to change his style and change the way he spoke in order to appeal to intellectual folks, who he sought acceptance from. In his words, "I got away from my authentic self trying to be what that community wanted me to be." It's no surprise that his book ended up not doing as well as he expected. Eric reflected on this experience and saw that the way he succeeded way by being authentic to himself, so in his next book, he went back to his roots and decided to speak to 80% of the population who don't have college degrees. That book was a resounding success.
I'll end with a question from Eric Thomas. It's a question I ask myself every week during my weekly review or when I feel misaligned in my life:
