What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Throughout my journey, both personally and professionally, I’ve been fortunate to have had the guidance and mentorship of many wise individuals. They’ve shared their insights, stories, and life lessons with me, each piece of advice a valuable gem. Yet, if I were to pinpoint the single best piece of advice I’ve received, it would be this: Be authentic.
You might wonder why I’ve chosen this advice above all others. After all, I’ve been told to work hard, dream big, and go after my goals with unwavering determination. These are certainly words to live by, but they are universal, applicable to anyone pursuing success. The challenge often lies in defining what “success” truly means to you.
The beauty of authenticity is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all mantra. It’s a compass that guides you to discover who you are and what genuinely matters to you. It’s a reminder that success isn’t defined solely by external benchmarks, but by the alignment of your actions with your values and desires.
Authenticity, at its core, is about being real and true to yourself. It’s about embracing your uniqueness, quirks, and imperfections. It’s about acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses without judgment. And it’s about having the courage to stand by your beliefs, even when they go against the grain.
One of the most powerful aspects of authenticity is its context sensitivity. It recognizes that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to life. What’s right for someone else may not be right for you, and that’s perfectly fine. Authenticity encourages you to tune in to the present moment, to the nuances of every situation, and to respond in a way that’s true to your core values.
When you’re authentic, people can sense it. They know when you’re genuinely engaged in a conversation, not just waiting for your turn to speak. They appreciate your sincerity, your willingness to share your thoughts and feelings openly. Authenticity fosters deep connections and meaningful relationships because it’s built on trust and vulnerability.
Now, of course, I have written in the past about how authenticity as a concept has been manipulated in society. You can be a liar if it’s authentic. Knockoffs are everywhere. Truths are no longer truths. Yet, authenticity still has value.
So, if you’re wondering what to work hard for and what to dream big about, I encourage you to start with the foundation of authenticity. Work hard for your own growth and fulfillment, not just for external validation. Dream big about the life that aligns with your true self, not someone else’s expectations.
In the end, the best advice is the one that resonates with you at this moment in your journey. And for me, it’s the reminder to be authentic, to embrace the unique path that only I can walk. It’s a timeless lesson that continues to guide me as I navigate the ever-evolving chapters of my life, and I hope it inspires you on your journey too.
So, here’s to being unapologetically, beautifully, authentically you.
Categories: Culture, current events, identity, Leadership, mental health, Psychology, society
psychologistmimi 
For So Many Years Dear Miriam
In Fact 18 Handing Out Rental Shoes
To SMiling Military Bowling Center Customers
Both Military and Civilian From Around the World
Literally Listening to Hundreds of Thousands of Their
Stories Not Much
Different Than
Ted Danson of Cheers
Mostly Listening though as
A Good Bartender or Psychotherapist Will
Did i Need to Be Anyone Except the Bowling
Alley Guy With A Smile For All Not Really
Not Unlike the Day Getting my 3 Degrees
At College With 3 Part Time Jobs Other
Than Research Associate in Archaeology
And Book Store Clerk Yep Cleaning Up the Phone
Building and the Local Bank too Where A Cop Checked
To Make Sure i Was Legit in the Bank Late at Night Radioing
Back Into Headquarters No Worries It’s Just the ‘Cleaning Boy’
Anyway There Were Days At the Bowling Alley i Thought It’s
Really Sad I Must Get Paid to Help Other Folks SMiLe through Their Days
True i Suppose i
Was Addicted to
The Warmth of LoVE iN Peace
There Were Some League Nights
Where it Came to me as Waves over
The Twilight Gleaming From Above Below on the Bowling Lanes
Yet of Course Only People Generating The Spirit of LoVE iN Peace
Cooperating
Loud and
Clear to Hear
And See Beyond All
Organs of Eyes and Ears
Anyway Getting Through 5 Job Changes
And Promotions Toward The End of my
Federal Career Yes for the Sky High Last
3 Years to Figure Golden Retirement Hehe
It Was Truly Sad Behind a Screen No More Room
To Help People SMiLe Just Facts and Figures And
Problems For Solutions Split Between Screens and
Making Sure People Do Their Job Yet Never Having to Fire
Anyone As it Just Wasn’t Part of my Repertoire Finally Breaking
Down to No Thing At All No Clean-Up Boy No Bowling Alley Guy
Just Nothing Nothing At All Not Even the Feeling of the Memory of A Smile
Left
i Sat in my
Backyard Looking to the
South in A Winter Breeze
Even Colder Within
Pondering How
i Would Get
Back my Authentic
SMiLinG Eyes to Generate
That Warmth in Others Again
Oh Dear Lord Behind SHades i Would
Have to Wear With the Worst Pain Known
To Humankind in my Right Eye And Ear With
No Ability to Listen to Music Anymore Either
Not Much of A Word Person Taking me 33 More
Months to Start to Make The Transformation
There Was No Choice Yet to Transform
my Soul my SMiLinG Eyes into
The Flesh and Blood of
Words That Transformed
Into A Free Dance That Brought
More Smiles Than i Could Count As Stars in Night Skies more
Indeed That’s All i Am A SMile makes me Naked Enough Whole Complete
The Rest
of it is
Just
Icing on the Cake..:)
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Chuckling. About being myself? I wasn’t aware that I had any other options.
But of course that misses the point of being the same person, always.
We all show different parts, as appropriate, of ourselves to different people. We can’t help doing that – different parts of ourselves cover different circumstances.
I think you’re saying these different ‘parts’ have to be OF THE SAME PERSON, not being a different person for different people.
I’m expressing myself badly, but it means, for example, that I can’t be racist when I’m with a bunch of my white friends, and NOT racist when I’m with my Black friend – I’m either racist or not. If my white friends are being racist when I’m with them – I have to speak up and/or stop being friends with them. And may have no other option but to stop being friends.
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Yes, we are different parts of ourselves as the situation dictates. And, true there are some consistent threads
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What does one do when the authentic them is roundly rejected by those around them? Authenticity has its limits.
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It certainly can have limits. I suppose one can retreat, disengage, or put on a facade.
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And that is how the closet is born and masking develops. A closet may not be a good thing but it can be the lesser of two evils.
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That is Certainly true
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