A few days ago, I finished my chapter for the joint book project with my speaking mentor, Les Brown. In one part, I took a journey back into my past, where recognition and success were very important to me. Do you know that feeling, constantly striving for recognition, success, or popularity? Or perhaps you know people for whom this is extremely important—how many followers do I have, who looked at my pictures, and so on. The question I always ask myself is: Does this really make someone happy? There’s actually a reason why many people, who seemingly have it all, still feel unfulfilled and unhappy. What do you think, how important is authenticity in this context?
I recently saw a meta-analysis with over 105 studies and more than 70,000 participants, and it clearly shows why this is the case. Pursuing external goals (money, fame, and external appearance) is associated with poorer mental and physical health. People strongly focused on purely external goals like financial success or popularity report lower well-being, reduced vitality, and increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Interestingly, these effects are consistent across different cultures. Thus, it’s not a cultural issue, but rather a universal human topic. I find this incredibly fascinating.
So, what can we do to avoid this? According to the study, people who live authentically and pursue intrinsic goals such as personal development, genuine relationships, and community experience greater happiness, health, and fulfillment. Why? Because these goals meet our fundamental psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and social connectedness.
Being authentic means staying true to yourself, even if it’s uncomfortable. It means removing the many masks we’ve created over the years and showing yourself exactly as you truly are. At the end of the day, that’s the only way real connections with other people emerge and a life unfolds that matches your true potential. This ties back to the book project with Les Brown. “Unleash Your Greatness” is the title.
My inspiration for this week:
Fame, wealth, or followers might gain you attention, but rarely long-term inner peace. Allow yourself instead to just be yourself. Set goals or intentions that genuinely match who you are—not just those that look good to others. Listen to your heart and follow your inner compass. Because your authenticity grants you inner strength, sustainably enriching and positively transforming your life.
And now it gets exciting because I want to quote a billionaire I once met in Florida. Naturally, I asked him my favorite question, “What’s the most important thing to succeed in life?” He told me:
“Use the 60 seconds of every minute on the things that truly matter to you, and you’ll get everything you desire.” Let’s take this tip into the new week.
Until next week, keep shining.
