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Authenticity is The New Currency

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 this article, I aim to reveal more about why investing in learning to live, lead, and love authentically is crucial to your well-being, 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 is also what lead to the conservative party ousting Boris Johnson from the government.

Tony J. Selimi
Tony J. Selimihttps://tonyselimi.com/
Born in 1969 in Gostivar, Republic of Northern Macedonia, Tony Jeton Selimi moved to London in 1990 at age 20 to find a haven from the atrocities of the civil war he had to fight. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he went from living homeless and penniless to an internationally recognised authority and a leader in personal, professional, leadership, and business development, professional speaker, an award-winning author, transformational life and business coach specialising in human behaviour, emotional intelligence and maximising human potential. Tony assists people from all professions to break through mental imprisonment, addictions, fears, depression, phobias, and limiting beliefs impacting their personal, relational, professional, business, and financial lives. Through his coaching and training business, and proven methods, his clients build the solid foundations and emotional resilience needed to create memorable and lasting spiritual and material transformations. He is dedicated to enabling individuals to take their education, expertise, and experiences and turn them into self-empowerment opportunities, a calling for commitment beyond oneself, and leverage their transformation to create more significant income and impact in meaningful entrepreneurship of career path. Businesses from all market sectors seek his expertise to turn their challenges, frustrations, and pains into steppingstones, map out clear values and purpose-driven vision, and a detailed plan and strategy for improving business performance, employee engagement, retention, communication skills, and performance.  He is an executive producer of The Truth About Reading documentary, co-created the Living My Illusion – The Truth Hurts award-winning life coaching documentary on Amazon Prime, created the Into Your DivinityDocumentary Series, and pioneered several trademarked methodologies in human development. Winner of the London SME Most Visionary Entrepreneur and Corporate Coaching and Recruitment Business Coach of the Year Award. Winner of multiple book awards for A Path to Wisdom, #Loneliness, The Unfakeable Code®, and A Path to Excellence. Tony is no stranger to the media, appearing in various TV, Radio, and Podcast shows, including being interviewed by Jack Canfield and Brian Tracy for ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, BBC, and their affiliate channels, reaching over 100 people worldwide. For bookings and further information, please go to https://tonyselimi.com.

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