Let's continue our talk on connectors and connections. How we connect has a great deal to do with the strength and value of our connections. Think about your strongest connections, they are likely people with whom you have shared or common experiences or interests. I enjoy a good reality TV show, and I think it is because they are all thrown into a shared experience and have to figure out the best way to proceed. However, the 24/7 nature of the setting makes it hard to be inauthentic 100% of the time and the participants always seem to seek out someone with whom they can be authentic or who they think is being authentic. There is value in authenticity, it allows us to quickly get to the nature of a situation and it allows us to do life together better. People can look out for our needs and we can look out for theirs when we are authentic. We can defend authenticity, we can also be our full and best selves in authenticity. Authenticity does not mean you don't have a situational filter, it just means you are consistently your best you in any given situation. Authenticity can be uncomfortable when you are not used to it, and it can also be satisfying to know you did not compromise who you are. Being authentic with our connections is not for the faint of heart, but it can help build trustworthy relationships that allow you to reach higher and go farther.
