How to Stop Being Fake and Start Being Your Authentic Self

Let’s get naked.

Yes, you read that right.

Talking about the kind of authenticity that is observed in self-actualizing individuals, Abraham Maslow said,

"They are variously described as being naked in the situation, guiltless, without a priori expectations, without "shoulds" or "oughts," without fashions, fads, dogmas, habits, or other pictures-in-the-head of what is proper, normal, "right," as being ready to receive whatever happens to be the case without surprise, shock, indignation, or denial." (The Farther Reaches of Human Nature)

I know he listed multiple different things, but “naked” stuck with me as the most potent description of authenticity.

But that’s not because I’m a creep. It’s because almost all of us have felt, at least once in our lives, naked in front of someone else. Maybe even naked in front of a group of people. Not physically naked, but rather psychologically and spiritually naked.

If you ever felt this way, and I know you have, you could confirm that it was at the same time one of the most terrifying and liberating experiences to finally be who you truly are in front of someone else.

Now that I have justified my love for the idea of being naked and successfully covered up my creepiness, let’s move on.

Actually, to move on, we must take a step back.