Hey everyone! Welcome back to the fifth edition of Lessons Learned From Crushing It! (GaryVee's Newest Book). Yesterday we talked about intent - the first characteristic on Gary's list of what really matters. Today we'll talk about the second characteristic - authenticity. In case you missed it, here's the original quote that I'm referring to:

"It's not hard to figure out why so many who attempt to [build a personal brand] fail. In general it's because they're putting their energies into the wrong things. They care, but not enough about what really matters. And what really matters is a pretty short list: intent, authenticity, passion, patience, speed, work, and attention."

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Current Book & Quotes From: Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

 
 

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Why Does Authenticity Matter?

"Your intent will be reflected in your authenticity. You will be a thousand times more successful if you wake up eager to share and create something because you believe the world will enjoy it rather than because you have calculated that this is what you need to do to become an Instagram celebrity."

Being authentic is a lens through which your audience will view your intent. If you aren't authentic, then you have bad intent and your audience will absolutely figure that out. You should really enjoy what you do and love whatever it is that you're talking about. If you don't, then you're not being authentic with your audience and that is a lose-lose situation for everyone.

"The more authentic you are, the more people will be willing to forgive your inevitable mistakes and stumbles."

This really broadly applies to everything in life and has already had a major impact on me. I struggle with a major hindrance in my life and that is other peoples' opinions. I catch myself constantly thinking about what other people think of me and how I'm viewed if I do X. I constantly question my actions, asking myself, "What if I do X wrong? What if they don't like that I'm doing X? Did I say that right? Did that sound right to them?" etc. etc. etc.

I've gotten better over the years with suppressing these feelings and just trying to do the right thing and letting the pieces fall as they will, but what Gary said about being authentic and letting people forgive your inevitable mistakes really resonates with me on this. If I just have good intent and be authentic with people, then they will forgive me if I offend them somehow or say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing.

Gary's Example of Someone Who's Crushing Authenticity

Lauryn Evarts from The Skinny Confidential is a great example of someone who is Crushing It! at being authentic and sharing her true self with her audience in a genuine way. What really stood out to me about Lauryn's story is that she talked about all the mainstream health tips - like dieting - but she also talked about more unconventional topics like botox and boob jobs. She also shared the deepest parts of her own life - like her engagement and marriage and the passing of her grandmother.

Being authentic means that you share who you truly are with your audience. You don't hold back. People have a good sense of when someone is faking authenticity. Talk about what you know and don't hold back because you're afraid of what people might think about you. Just share your unfiltered thoughts and be genuine about it and you will make relationships and build a genuine connection with your audience.

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Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!

Are you being authentic in how you present yourself and your intentions or are you trying to please everyone you meet by trying to fit the image that you think they'll like the most?

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts below and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!

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