If You Are Human, You Are Authentic

The confusion with AI ends here

Authentic is what you are all of the time. It’s not a noun or a choice. It is what you are, even when questioning or searching for your authenticity.

Every living human is authentic, and this story explores why it matters more to adults who become professionals. Why does it matter more to proficient communicators such as authors, artists, musicians, dancers, and actors? Why is there more conversation about authenticity among gifted humans as well as professionals who study brain science and giftedness?

As we continue this story from two different points of view, like breakout discussion groups, which one would you choose to join?

Group One: Authenticity With No Technology.

Group Two: Authenticity and Artificial Intelligence.

Group One

Because humans were here before AI, let’s start with these points and, please speak up in an email to tell us what you think and to ask questions.

Most humans never search for their authenticity until past 30, when experiencing major transitions in life, trauma and healing, death and grief, and questions of self-worth and inner development.

Every professional is expected to “stand and present” at many points in their career, often starting with job interviews and summary reports of their work, their contribution, and their impact on the results. For these moments, the professional needs both storytelling skills and authenticity. You must write and speak in “your voice” to keep attention or make any money. Anything else is something other than authentic—not the real you, speaking for someone else, or propaganda.

Credit Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Here are the five voices I would invite into my Group One discussion.

Lily Jedynak, Ph.D. (past 60)

If you’re like me – someone wired for depth, intensity, and nuance – authenticity is a driving force, a longing, a calling. But it’s been cheapened, stripped down to scrap metal by lifestyle branding and Insta captions. All that’s left is to give it away to a “good home.”

How I wish someone had brought this to my attention much earlier in my life. It would have saved so much blood, sweat and tears. Because I thought that I couldn’t be authentic unless I knew who I was. And I didn’t know who I was for a very, very long time.

Brené Brown (1965-present)

She provides insights on authenticy in her book The Gifts of Imperfection. She encourages readers to cultivate courage, compassion, and connection by embracing their imperfections and practicing wholehearted living.

Susan Cain (1968-present)

She emphasizes authenticity and sensitivity in her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. She champions the strengths of introverts and their thoughtful contributions in a society that overvalues extroversion.

Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902-1980)

He gets most of the credit for starting the discussion about authenticity by proposing that psychological growth and advance development emerges from internal conflicts, leading to a more authentic self. In 1967 he published Personality-Shaping Through Positive Disintegration.

Paula Prober (1951-present)

The books and steady stream of articles from this licensed psychotherapist and consultant about Your Rainforest Mind created most of the conversations within our community about intensities, sensitivities, career paths, relationships, challenges, and benefits of high-intelligence adults.

Credit Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Group Two

Where does authenticity and artificial intelligence intersect, align, or crash in a burning ash heap? Professionals are asking this question because of their obsession, fueled by unscientific speculation and fear of losing their identity and functions to AI-generated everything, everywhere.

Gifted adults overthink everything and have come to no conclusions about AI. Instead, they are the most fascinating people in Group Two because they have stories of their explorations into brain science. They are especially good at metacognition (thinking about thinking) and challenging questions, such as this:

If you have spent decades adapting to fit in or suppressing yourself to what others (authority figures like parents, teachers, mentors, and experts) want you to be, what is the authentic you?

According to Lily Jedynak, “To be authentic is to remain honest amid change. Well, that’s a bit tougher than I thought. Instead of climbing a mountain to reach my destination, I’m now on a rollercoaster ride with no end in sight.”

Communicators are asking this question because they see that AI-generated imitations are pushing them rapidly to the bottom of the food chain. Writers, especially and all human-centered online businesses are counting their demise in months, not years. The ones worse off than writers are assembly line workers. Other communicators, such as dancers, storytellers, and artists are barely interested in AI because of the physical, human-touch nature of their work.

The better question is where do authenticity and AI never touch, but only wave to each other over the fence called technology?

Authenticity is a state of being for the human author—an inherent quality tied to their individual existence and their unique connection to the creative act. AI is a tool and so are paper and pencil. The genesis of authentic expression remains firmly with the human who guides its output and imbues it with their own, unique meaning. The AI tool stops at the keyboard. Authenticity begins with human intention and execution of that intention.

Credit Jodi Cook on Unsplash

Intention and strategy.

With or without tools, the most basic human experience that defines a life and a career is intention and strategy.

If you search for authenticity or work on universal questions, such as “How come I don’t have customers for this wonderful thing I created?”, the answers you seek are in your intentions and strategies.

This is why and how I created a consulting practice called “Wishes to Actions” and followed up with “Storythinking.” I’ve been practicing and evolving this for more than 30 years, and I still have no competitors—because I have another, fresh new thought each day and no two clients are the same. It’s NOW answers for NOW situations.

Humans are great at dreaming, wishing, fantasy, imagining, and generating thousands of ideas in a single day. Intention is the “why” that directs effort toward the dream. If the intention is not clear, actions become aimless. Humans are great at excuses, procrastination, and trying to be something they are not, as well.

Strategy provides the “how” and includes all resources (time, money, other humans, tools, the works) to go from where you start to the intended result.

A strong intention, however noble, will likely remain an unfulfilled dream without a well-executed strategy to navigate obstacles and leverage opportunities. Conversely, an intricate strategy without a foundational intention is mere busywork, devoid of meaning or direction.

Is it enough to have the intention and do the work? Almost there, and stick with me. Storytelling is the final mile in your marathon to a finish line and connection with others, supporters, community, clients, and humans actively seeking that authentic you and what you can do for them.

Where does authenticity matter? Why bother? Because it is your story. It is your life, your work, what happened because you did the work, and where you made a difference in the world.

The confusion with AI ends here.