Storm Beach

I am never going to achieve my goal of ‘hacking authenticity and open sourcing it for all’ without taking a stand. Authentic people not only take a stand, they also know why they are doing so. The first question in this hack (what value is important to you?) Is a fairly straightforward starting point. Simply choose one value this is important to you right now. Maybe you are working on something at the moment, or about to embark on something new. Either way the solution is the source, the problems you might face or are encountering can all be overcome by staying true to who you are.

Next, take a timeout and ask yourself the question – when did you first recognise this value? Cast your mind back to when your first recognised this value. This memory is likely to be in your early formative years (before the age of 5 in many cases), and people often recall specific moments or a phase in their life. Naturally some of these memories are positive, when your value was demonstrated. Or a situation that was memorable because someone’s values were not being taken into consideration. The final question calls on you describe when you first took a stand for this value. Typically many years will have passed from recognition to taking a stand. You know when you have taken a stand because others around you can bear witness, and have probably benefited as a result.

Autonomy, Independence and freedom has always been important to me. When I was about four years old I remember going out on to the drive and climbing into my Dad’s car. I remember mimicking my father at work as I shuffled through receipts and pieces of paperwork. Retrospectively the key to this story was that I was alone in this activity. 20 years later I left the family business and familiar community for a round the world trip. Scaring myself on one hand, but taking a stand for my independence on another. And now I often find myself in a car park (in the same make car as the one that I sat in when I was five) working away?!

If you want to see this hack in action then check out my FREE online course (section 4) – The Seven Secrets of Authenticity – https://www.udemy.com/the-seven-secrets-of-authenticity/#/