Authenticity Is Not Enough
The Truth About Growth, Consistency, and Becoming
I didn’t arrive at authenticity on purpose.
It wasn’t deliberate, I stumbled into it when everything else stopped working.
I was done trying to shape my art around algorithms. Burnt out on hustling prints and T-shirts. And deep into an unhealthy relationship with social media notifications.
It felt like walking in a suit of armor that was too big. Every step you take is a reminder that a lot of the weight you’re carrying is not you.
Eventually, the only thing left was to let it all go.
I wish I could say it was strategy, but it was absolutely surrender. Leaning into the things that gave me joy, for no other reason than the joy they gave me, was the only thing that helped.
That season reintroduced me a self that I was ignoring, but the time I spent there taught me something else
Authenticity is about being, being (by itself) is passive, and passive doesn’t get us to the places we want to go.
It’s gonna take some doing.
The Authenticity Trap
Once it starts bubbling in the algorithm, authenticity is like any other buzzword. The real definition can get lost under all the opinions and interpretations.
Google it, or search it on Youtube and you’ll find people telling you “just be yourself,” and “speak your truth.”
That’s awesome advice, until you realize it’s a roundabout.
You can be authentic and still not make any progress.
When you think being ‘real’ is enough, it’s easy to resist structure and reject systems. This is where comfort disguises itself as alignment.
Anything that feels difficult must not be in sync with your authentic self.
Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it should be avoided, and the resistance we feel isn’t always a stop sign. It can also be an invitation to evolve and mature.
Maybe that feels like it’s going back towards being performative, or trying to force something you don’t feel drawn to. Which is fair.
But you have to ask yourself: what if you’re confusing authentic with emotional comfort?
Authenticity is a fresh start. It’s a sacred spark, but it’s not the fire.
It can drown out the noise and help you reconnect with what matters. Especially after you get too deep into somebody else's story.
But it doesn’t replace the work, momentum, or discipline. It tells you where to aim, but not how you need to move to get there.
It’s easy to get caught in a loop because there’s a euphoria in self acceptance, and as soon as it’s time to expand, it feels like you’re stepping away from that feeling you just found.
But you don’t lose yourself when you evolve.
You refine it. You recalibrate your movements to match your new perspective.
Authenticity without action is potential without purpose.
When Being Isn’t Enough
The thing we don’t talk about enough is that moment you realize being authentic is not the end of the journey.
It’s a doorway.
And when it works the way it's supposed to, it eventually stops being about who you are and starts being about who you're becoming.
Being real is the revelation. You uncover what feels true, then you start the real work, building a practice around it.
If the process of self discovery makes you want to stand still, you’re doing it wrong. This is a rest stop where we find the magnetism that pulls us toward something exciting and a little scary.
Like the creative project that makes you nervous because it’s bigger than anything you’ve tried in the past. Or the skill you want to develop even though you (authentically) suck at it right now.
These are not impulses to be admired from a distance. They're supposed to inspire action.
Once you find the things that feel genuinely aligned, not comfortable, you should be clear about where you can be consistent.
The next step is applying that consistency to systems that support your growth and help you embody what authenticity revealed.
The Ritual of Discipline
Structure is not the enemy of creativity or authenticity. It’s not a cage. It’s the soil where expansion happens.
We have a natural inclination to protect the things that matter to us, because those things are already asking for care and support.
Your creativity wants a regular practice. Your relationships want consistent attention. And your dreams want systems that move them out of the idea phase and into reality.
When discipline is forced, you feel boxed in to pressure and perfectionism. When we choose discipline for ourselves, it becomes a path to freedom and flow.
For most creatives, it’s easy to resist the concept of structure. Because we think the opposite of the rat race is to play and explore indefinitely. And I agree, to a point.
I think having some time to frolic is important to the healing process, but it’s only the beginning of a deeper build.
The time I took for my personal reset helped me understand that all the chatter in my head was my brain trying to write. Once I actually started writing, I only did it when I 'felt inspired', maybe a few times a week.
That experience moved me towards building a practice of writing for at least an hour every morning.
The structure didn't kill the magic, it multiplied it, and changed my entire trajectory. Those reps didn't just make me a better writer, it gave me access to ideas that only show up for action, not inspiration.
We don’t have to go back to cold, rigid systems. We get to create our own. The ones that are rooted in love, and radical optimism.
We need rhythm, we need rituals, we need intentional repetition.
It’s how we say: this part of my life is important enough to be protected and cared for.
Structure is the morning routine for oracle cards and quiet reflection. The creative schedule built around the hours that you feel naturally energized. And the boundaries that protect your peace and preserve your bandwidth for the actions that move you closer to your desired outcome.
Where Insight Meets Impact
This is what most people miss: there's a bridge between authentic insight and authentic impact. And the only way to get from one to the other is to build your way across.
It's easier than you think, but you have to make the decision to move past the comfort of knowing who you are into the uncertainty of becoming who you're meant to be.
Step 1: Recognize
What did authenticity reveal about what really matters to you? Not what you think should matter, but what actually connects to something inside you. Maybe it's artistic expression, maybe it's helping other people grow, maybe it's building something that serves your community. Get specific. Write it down.
Step 2: Choose
Pick one area where you want to see authentic action, not just authentic intention. You can't change everything at once, but you can transform one thing completely. What's the one place where you're ready to stop being potential and start being active?
Step 3: Build
Create the simplest possible system for regular action in that area. Not perfect action, not impressive action, just consistent action. The morning writing routine, the weekly phone call, the daily walk, the monthly review. Something small enough that you can't fail, but significant enough to compound over time.
The system itself doesn’t matter as much as your commitment to cultivating the seed that authenticity gave you. The version of you that rediscovered itself deserves more than acknowledgment. They deserve action.
Authenticity got you here. But it's not going to carry you through the next stage of the journey. That's your job now.
If any of this resonated…
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Thank you for reading, and for being with me on this journey.
You are greatly appreciated.
— Corey
Thank you for this. It allowed me to stop for a minute and reconsider.
I didn't specify exactly what is being reconsidered because it feels layered and fluid. The one absolutely clear consideration is movement. Early in your piece I found myself looking at a tendency which I feel has become prevalent in our thinking processes and that is the idea of being finished. Somehow it seems to me we have forgotten that when we are truly finished all of the these considerations become moot. Until the day we die we are constantly moving, changing in some form. We never reach a finnish line and yet it is incredibly easy to think in terms of once I get to X I can finally be happy and content and perhaps most importantly done. The problem is found in the reality that that scenario is a false construct. We may be able to pause a moment and enjoy our accomplishment but we don't get to stop. I'm an old retired guy and I see so many people my age completely lost because they thought there was a finish line and then some kind of happily ever after kicked in. Younger people do the same thing with accomplishment, self realization, self awareness, etc... I guess it really comes down to the old parable of the student asking the teacher what one does once one experiences enlightenment.
Of course the old monk answered, " Once one has achieved enlightenment then you chop wood and carry water."
Thanks again for a great read!
“Authenticity is a fresh start. It’s a sacred spark, but it’s not the fire.”
This line is absolute. Just absolutely absolute.