Good news! There's more than one authentic you.

A desire to "be authentic" comes up in many conversations with my clients, particularly when they find themselves in leadership roles believing they need to "be someone else" to succeed.

Which is why I was so struck by Marcia Reynolds' challenge to Quit Looking for Your Authentic Self and the freedom that might come from rethinking what authenticity really means.

The central message of Marcia's article is that there is no single, fixed "authentic self" waiting to be discovered. Instead we are made up of multiple selves, identities or archetypes that emerge in different situations.

We might be a mentor, rebel, detective or nurturer depending on what is needed. None of these identities is more authentic than the others because they are all part of who we are.

Rather than trying to find the "real you", growth comes from becoming more conscious and intentional about which parts of yourself you draw upon and when. The more ways of being available to us, the more choice we have in how we respond.

Instead of asking, "Who am I really?", Marcia encourages us to ask, "Which version of me would be most useful here?"

What particularly resonated with me is her emphasis on curiosity over certainty.

When we recognise that identity is fluid, evolving and shaped by choice rather than fixed and permanent, new possibilities emerge. We can stop trying to prove who we are and become curious about who else we might be.

For my clients, the implication feels significant. Rather than helping people uncover their "true self", perhaps the greater value lies in helping them loosen their attachment to identities that no longer serve them and consciously step into new ones.

After all, lasting change happens when people change how they see themselves, not simply what they do.

Read Marcia Reynolds full article here: https://covisioning.com/quit-looking-for-your-authentic-self/