At some point we all need to ask ourselves; do we want to just look successful or actually be successful? Are we trying to look good? Or actually ‘be’ good?
Are we investing our efforts into appearing a certain way, or into being the real deal?
Because depending on which one we choose, we will experience radically different levels of personal fulfillment.
We live in an era where, with a credit card, social media and a filter, we can bluff the world into thinking that we have a level of success far above what is true. We can portray an image of wealth, confidence and idealism, all the while our day-to-day experience is empty and unfulfilling.
Deep down however we don’t want to ‘appear’ wealthy, happy and successful. We want to actually be wealthy, happy and successful. We want authentic success and the legitimate emotions of confidence, calm and happiness that comes with it.
Where ‘appearing’ successful is all about he story we tell the world, Authentic Success is about the evidence we create. The tangible indicators that we are the ‘real deal’.
Where ‘appearing’ successful is measured by how we look, Authentic Success is about what we and those closest to us experience, privately.
Authentic Success recognizes that we live in our lives even when no one is looking. So our effort and activity is best applied to changing how things ‘are’, not how things ‘appear’.
Thus taking actions to:
- Grow wealth rather than to appear wealthy.
- Have deep communication with those we love, rather than about those we love.
- Spend time on the things we love, rather than things that look good to others.
- Design and create our life, rather than the one we feel will please others.
Crucial to Authentic Success is how we direct our time and effort. In ‘perceived success’ our time and effort goes into ‘looking’, ‘bluffing’, ‘posturing’, ‘politicking’ and ‘story telling’. While in Authentic Success our time and effort goes into learning, action, sweat, risk and humility.
Anyone who has achieved anything real will vouch for this. That at some point they had to get their hands dirty. It took a massive amount of effort. There was risk, failures, periods of doubt and many hours of unglamorous work in private. They also didn’t do it on their own. They called upon the help, support and council of those around them. They were prepared to ‘look’ meek to achieve something real.
The difference essentially is humility. Humility is the heart of Authentic Success. Humility is prepared to look ‘less than’ to achieve something real. Humility drops the image of perfection that blocks the knowledge and advice we need from others. Just as a building requires a foundation proportional to it’s height, so does greatness. Humility is the foundation of greatness.
You are great. You are the real deal. You are loved. Let the way you live be evidence of that.