Authenticity is of great importance, yet something that many of us are sometimes guilty of.
In a world heavily dominated by the media, where we often see the best parts of people’s lives and similarly want to showcase the best parts of our own lives, it is easy to put on facades for the purpose of affirming to find others.
Social media is often a major player in dictating people’s beliefs about what life should be like and even benchmarking where we should be at certain points in our lives. I was guilty of being consumed with the chase for likes and views, wondering why some posts didn’t get as much engagement as others.
The professional world is no different. People strive to position themselves in a certain way that they believe will be redemptive for others. The question is: should we change ourselves? Easy, in business people do what they need to do to get the role, get a promotion or secure an investment, and just like outside of work, adapting makes it easier to be part of a group. At some point in my almost 30 years of life, I learned that it’s okay not to fit in. In fact, it’s better to stand out for being yourself and if you don’t fit in with the group, then the group isn’t for you.
In the early days of PushFar, I positioned my goals around finance, with ideologies of success around business value. I really thought this was the dream. Then I realized, partly because of the pandemic and by taking a step back and examining what I was building, that it was okay not to be the startup entrepreneur who did what was expected of me.
It was okay not to fit the mold and do things differently. I chose to focus on profits, not sales. It turns out that when fundraising and startup investing weren’t as readily available in late 2022 and early 2023, all the venture capitalists suddenly realized what companies like PushFar were doing (keeping business lean and profitable with steady, achievable growth). closer to what they wanted than what they expected from their own investments over the past decade.
Trying to pursue goals that are perceived as “correct” can be exhausting and, frankly, unattainable for many. Authenticity should be encouraged because it embraces diverse insights and increases inclusivity, which is important across all walks of life. When it comes to entrepreneurship, authenticity is important to steer the company in the direction that suits you. It allows you to make real connections that align with your own values and will positively contribute to the future of your career. Being honest with yourself and others will bring much more joy in the long run than striving to achieve what others consider success.