Be an Authentic Person in the Midst of All the Voices

One of my coaching clients had a profound insight around the idea of becoming his authentic self.  "Being authentic is trying to be our own person in the midst of all the voices screaming different instructions.  The key is knowing how to turn down those voices."

How do you become an Authentic Entrepreneur?  The first step is to be authentic.  That sounds easy, doesn't it?  I mean - who else can you be other than yourself?  Truth is that you can be many people other than yourself.  You can be your parents, grandparents, teachers, religious leaders, employers, friends, any number of people you have interacted with up to this time in your life.

How do you turn down those voices buzzing incessantly in your head?  Using art, as a metaphor, here's some ideas to help you learn how to turn off or at the very least, down, the volume of those voices.  When I first began taking painting lessons, I wanted to become a professional - immediately.  With that attitude, my goal became to sell the work and because I was new and had not yet developed my "voice," I spent a great deal of time looking outside myself in an effort to determine the type of art that was marketable.

The fallacy with this approach is that the market is constantly changing and as an artist you become a follower rather than a leader.  Another conflict arises when you realize you're selling your soul for the market rather than creating paintings that make your heart sing.  Lastly, you do not develop your "voice" when you're spending so much time looking outside yourself.  Thank goodness, I gave up that approach.

Using those realizations provides some valuable lessons for the Authentic Entrepreneur. Ask yourself:

1.  Are you in a business that you love or did you choose your current working environment because of a strong voice from your past that pressured you to that choice?  How many of us heard from our parents that in order to make a living, we should become doctors, lawyers, or accountants?  Didn't we also hear that it isn't possible to make any money as an artist, writer, or teacher?

2.  How many times have you made decisions affecting your life, based on getting even with someone?  Or proving yourself to someone through accomplishing a difficult goal?

3.  What do you really want to accomplish in your business and in your life?  Can you meld the two?

When I first start the process of painting, the voices are very loud.  They're the voices of teachers, collectors, and gallery owners.  These voices are judgmental.  They do not uplift, rather they tell me all of the reasons I can't accomplish my goals.   I don't have to tell them to shut up, though.  For I've discovered that they automatically shut up as I plunge deeper into the task at hand.

Here are some keys to assist you in quieting the voices:

1.    In order to give your complete attention to the task at hand is to be enthusiastic about it.  Or, if you don't particularly like the task, at least find the joy in doing your best.

2.    Spend some time in the quiet with the goal of discovering what really motivates you.  What do you currently do that is joyful and meaningful?  How can you spend more time doing those things?  When you're focused on what you want to accomplish you become an attractor drawing the people, methods and opportunities to you in order to accomplish your goals.  
 
3.  Do you have the courage to change if you discover that you're not being your authentic self?  There's a very real trap that artists fall into - it's the trap of selling their work and becoming, in effect, typecast.  When this happens, it's very difficult to break free into another style.  Collectors and gallery owners, alike, want to stop you from changing.  They know your work is marketable as it is and anything new may not have the same attraction for their customers.  In reality, though, the artist who doesn't continue to grow stagnates and becomes mechanical.  True, they may have to find other galleries to show their work, yet growth far outweighs becoming a machine turning out art.

Just as the artist must continue to stretch and grow, so, too must the Authentic Entrepreneur.  Of course, this isn't easy.  It requires a very real desire to explore the inner regions of your heart and mind.  It requires the courage to change what isn't working in your life.  And, it requires your willingness to take the steps necessary to accomplish your goals.

Copyright 2001 by Aleta Pippin, founder Authentic Entrepreneuring.  

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