It’s important to have you’re own voice and style. It helps you stand out from the crowd. This serves well for a personal trainer, business, or any human out there wanting to be different.
But…
At what point does the emphasis on being “authentic” work against you? Sometimes, I feel like there’s too much focus on telling people to be authentic, live their passion, do what they want and love what they do. This leads people to believe they should always do what they want and should never struggle, face adversity, live the high-life all the time, be entitled, and act like a butt-munch.
I’m all for living your best life but sometimes we need a reality check. I think there needs to be a line drawn where authenticity must take a back seat to professionalism.
Nobody loves taking out the trash, but it still has to be done.
Getting to work on time sometimes is the hardest thing to do, but you still need to strive to be early.
Paying bills and taxes sucks, but you have to do it anyway.
Watching what you say is harder than speaking freely, but it’s important for good communication.
Sweeping the floor is part of life if you want to be great. That’s how one of the greatest professional sports teams of all time keeps their edge, check out the All Blacks philosophy here – Legacy by James Kerr
Being authentic, living freely, and being passionate are all important and fulfilling parts of life. But they cannot exist in someone who doesn’t also do the hard stuff like:
Be on time.
Work with others even when they don’t want to.
Stay late and put in extra hours.
Putting others above self.
Eat your vegetables.
Stop eating when your 80% full.
Exercise…
Turn off Fortnite at a reasonable time
Seeking to better understand others.
Etc…
I call it being professional but maybe it’s more like being mindful and aware. Being mindful and aware forces you to think of others and do things that sometimes you may not want to. This is what builds character and creates values. Ultimately, doing the mindful stuff creates your authentic self.
Comments