This past weekend, I (like millions of people) went to see Girls Trip in the movies. And while this week’s episode has very little to do with the film, one of the underlying themes of the movie will help you to grow your business.
Here’s what I mean:
The main character, Ryan, was a beautiful, successful motivational speaker and best selling author of a book called You Can Have It All. Interestingly, Ryan didn’t have it all. In case you haven’t seen the movie but intend to, I don’t want to ruin it for you. In fact, her authenticity was in question by herself and her girls during their girls’ trip. She had become so fixated on presenting an image to her community that she forgot to always be herself and allow herself to shine a light on how she desired to serve others. The good news is that by the end of the movie, she was successfully reminded and rewarded for being Ryan.
This week our creative director, Blake, asked me a question I didn’t always have the answer to. Check it out:
As I share in the episode, authenticity is over communicated but not shown nearly enough in the marketplace. What I mean is, if you have to tell people you’re authentic, it’s usually a sign that you are trying to convince yourself.
It’s like everyone has read books that talk about “faking it until you make it” instead of learning how to be what you desire to be in the world. Well, I don’t recommend that you fake it until you make it; I recommend that you follow these 5 keys and I hope that you feel empowered to show the world who you really are:
1. Ensure that you are crystal clear on who you are and what makes you special even in this over-crowded, always noisy marketplace. The truth is that there is no one like you. God made you original; don’t focus on becoming a cheap copy of someone else. I’ll admit that to feel authentic and like who you are matters, it will take self-confidence, self-awareness and a commitment to develop yourself.
2. Determine or re-evaluate/reinvent your core values. What do you stand for? Why do you stand for those things? Why does it matter? What do you do when your core values are challenged? Do you have enough conviction to stand up for yourself when your core values are not being honored? These are just some of the questions you’ll want to answer for yourself. They will help you set the tone for what the authentic you looks like. Once you set these, let them be your guide post to keep you on track toward living the best life you can.
3. Know unequivocally that YOU are enough. You don’t need to be taller, shorter, skinnier, fatter, or smarter or any other adjective you’d use to describe yourself. The truth is, when God created you, He was showing off! You are the personification of Incredible at this very moment. And, if you start to believe that, you’d be cooking with gas!
4. Spend time each day reflecting on how grateful you are. Gratitude takes you a long way because it’s challenging to be inauthentic when you’re focused on being grateful. Gratitude has a way of helping you to see yourself for who you really are.
5. Check in often. There’s a lot of noise out there and if you’re not careful, it can get into your spirit. So, you’ll need to check in with yourself. If you don’t feel absolutely amazing every time you step up to show up, you’re off alignment and you’ll need to quickly get back in line. When you are connected to God and your spirit, you’ll exude the confidence necessary to position yourself to show up to make an impact on the world. Whenever you’re unable to flow, you’ll know that something is off.
6. Speak up for yourself. When you know yourself and believe in yourself, you’ll have no problem making sure that you are heard and experienced in every facet of your life. When I think back on my corporate days, I really put myself in a position to showcase Darnyelle. When I got into the entrepreneurial marketplace, I temporarily forgot and found myself trying to fit in. But here’s the thing: you weren’t born to fit in, you were born to stand out. When I was fitting in, things didn’t flow. As soon as I resolved to be my crazy, quirky and sometimes ghetto self, it felt good and it resonated with others.
7. Lead how you’d want to be led. Leadership is very important. And, you have to be able to lead in order for someone to want to follow. When it comes to authentic leadership, know that who you are and what you stand for will shine through and that will create a movement for others to want to be a part of. I will tell you, the more I am “Darnyelle” the more people respond favorably to all that I do. Don’t believe me? Try it!
So, now I want to hear from you. What’s your two cents?
©2017 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Business Optimization Coach and Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises®, Incredible Factor University® and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System®, a proven step-by-step program so you experience financial and spiritual abundance in your life because of your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Even Smart Entrepreneurs Must Avoid for Clients, Connection and Cash Flow!” just fill out the form below.
