Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Oct/Nov 2016 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 91
– BRENÉ BROWN
Brown shatters the misconception that
authenticity is a quality. It’s not. It’s something
we practice as humans, or as she says, “a
conscious choice of how we want to live.”
Then she defines authenticity as “the daily
practice of letting go of who we think we’re
supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
It gets better. According to Brown, choosing
authenticity means:
Cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to
set boundaries, and to allow ourselves
to be vulnerable;
xercising the compassion that
E
comes from knowing that we
are all made of strength and
struggle; and
urturing the connection
N
and sense of belonging
that can only happen
when we believe that we
are enough.
(Honestly, I could quote
from this entire chapter, but
I’ll stop because I want to
get to my point.)
What does all of this have to do with your
marketing?
Taking into consideration Brené’s definition,
I believe there are three guidelines for what
I call “Authentic Marketing:”
#1: Authenticity in marketing – just
like in real life – is a practice.
This means two things to me: It’s a choice,
and it’s something you improve upon over
time. In a world where the perception
of perfection is everywhere, showing
your vulnerable, imperfect, “love-myselfanyways” side is scary. You’re bound to get
criticism. You’re bound to feel uncomfortable.
Give yourself permission to slowly start
showing authenticity in your marketing. Think
of it as a journey where you’re taking those
first tentative steps Remember, it’s a practice,
and you may not nail it on your first try.
#2: Your marketing must be a
reflection of you.
Have you ever written a blog post that
doesn’t quite fit your personality or ideology?
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CAREER/BUSINESS
“[authenticity is] the daily practice of letting
go of who we think we’re supposed to be
and embracing who we are.”