You hear the word tossed around all over social media on the daily – authenticity. Be authentic. Produce authentic content. Show up authentically. Like getting your hand slapped with a ruler in school over and over again until it is engraved in your brain, authenticity. So what does it really mean to be authentic? Is it showing your intruding blackhead on instagram stories? Letting your followers see your messy room? Is it talking publicly about your personal relationships and hardships?
Sure, it can be.
The adjective authentic describes something that is real or genuine and not counterfeit. But over the years, I found that being authentic means to show up as yourself every day – in real life and on instagram. It means knowing and believing that you have something to offer the world, a story to tell by just being who you are. It means knowing that your life experiences, your interests, knowledge and skills, and you are valuable.
At the beginning of my blogging journey I was so caught up in trying to do what everyone else was doing. I wanted my life to look like theirs – I had to shoot where everyone else was shooting, spend tons of money on new clothes because all these other girls showed up everyday in adorable outfits and gave off this excessively bubbly personality at all times. But, guess what? That’s not me. And it took me a long time to realize that.
So, if you’re not the girl who likes to wear frilly skirts or the girl who goes to lavish events, the girl with the perfectly curated feed… does that make you uninteresting? Maybe to some, but not to all.
I am the girl who moved 3,000 miles away from home to start a new life. The girl who is obsessed with her camera gear, and the girl who does everything she can to design a life that is true to who I am. I do have a story to tell.
You are the girl with a story to tell. A story that is all your own.
That right there was the answer for me. Realizing that my life is worthy of sharing without taking on the life of someone else. And there is a whole new audience out there for you when you start showing up as you.
“Every second you spend thinking about what somebody else has is taking away from time you could be creating something for yourself.” – Gary V
Someone out there needs you exactly the way you are. From now on, every single time you find yourself questioning your online presence, repeat this quote and show up. Stay true to you. And don’t forget to embrace your weirdness.
That, is authenticity.
