With the surge of social media content and personalized marketing strategies these days, you can almost see up close what’s authentic and what’s not.
The value of authenticity is often abstract for many. But when you discover your own and develop it further, opportunities will keep on coming. Here are some practical to-do’s in developing authenticity.
It’s always satisfying to see the fruits of your experiences – as there’s always something to bring home from each one.
Make an inventory of skills, interests, and industries you’ve come across with or wanting to explore. Assess this inventory and pick out the things you are passionate enough to dig deep and pursue. Put them all together, these skills and interests could lead you to something innovative and worth pursuing.
Once you’ve picked up your talents and insights, you can now start creating. Besides, what good lessons are if not put into action? We know how starting is always a struggle, but don’t mind what other people are saying. If you feel you have something worth saying, put yourself out there. People won’t know what you have until you open yourself up.
Creating content may be in the form of blogs, articles, podcasts, vlogs, and even a full-blown business.
Creating itself is not enough. You have to ride the velocity curve and keep going. Besides, no one creates award-winning first drafts or best-selling beta versions. You can start and make mistakes, but keep going anyway.
When building a brand and creating content, be consistent also with yourself. As you learn, embody what you say and say what you truly embody. Time has its way of showing people’s most authentic selves.
Somewhere along the way, the word leverage (undeservingly) earned a negative meaning. But to its essence, authentic leveraging, especially in content, is putting your original creation out there and making it work for you. Allow your content to be consumed, and bring something out of it – whether that’s a community, influence, or even profit.