In today’s hyper-competitive, post-modern, chaotic world filled with synthetic this and processed that, fake people to my left and phonier people to my right, all I want is to sit down and talk to a genuine human being. I used to teach sociology at the college level in one of my many past lives. One topic that I loved and shared with my students was post-modern social theory. Don’t give up on me… I’ll make this short. Back in the day, there were only so many things to be, jobs to hold and personalities to have. Today, anyone can be anything, at any time, and because of this, many people don’t know who they are. There may be far too many options that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who and what I am. Know what I mean?
As a consequence of post-modern life, we have lost somewhere along the line, the innate ability to just be ourselves, to be real and genuine. To a degree, we must be actors during the job interview or first date. But, how many people live their lives wanting to be someone or something else while losing out on who they really are? Have we lost the ability to be genuine?
What Do Genuine People Do?
First and foremost, genuine people exhibit authentic emotions. They live by their actions and not simply their words. After all, anyone can say one thing and do the opposite. Genuine people are very comfortable with themselves and do not go out of their way to make people like them. They are who they are. Period. They will do the right thing regardless of what others think about them and will make unpopular decisions.
Genuine people don’t have the need to show off. They are comfortable speaking and behaving in a concise manner and are confident about themselves. They know that people can feel their energy, confidence and attitude and will be more attracted to them rather than bragging or putting on a show for people.
Judgment is something that genuine people do not pass along to others. They remain open-minded, approachable and interesting to other people. Would you really want to waste your time talking to someone who has already formed an opinion and is not willing to be open-minded and listen? Instead, they attempt to see the world through the eyes of others, which isn’t easy to do. They don’t pass judgment and try to understand others.
Genuine people create their own path and stick to it regardless of what others may think. They don’t get satisfaction from what others think or feel about them and their decisions. They feel satisfied with their own efforts and have their own internal compass that shows them the right ways to go. They follow directions from their mind, heart and soul. They have values, principles and morals.
One of my favorite characteristics of genuine people, and I know some, is they are very generous with their time, energy and resources. People who are not genuine tend to hold back things like information that could help other people advance their careers or better themselves in some way. They also hold back their emotions and tend to be more robotic and cold. They don’t want you to succeed. On the other hand, genuine people are happy and want to provide you with things that can help you become more successful. They are genuinely happy when you do well.
Another great aspect of genuine people, and one that we could really use more in our current culture, is that they are thick-skinned and do not become offended at everything out there. It seems as though today that people look for things to be offended by and then cry “victim”. Genuine people aren’t victims – they are owners of their actions, words, and beliefs. They tend to be strong and do not feel insulted by people’s criticisms or judgments. It is what it is and they move on.
Final Words on Being Genuine
Genuine people are truly special people. They are a breed unto themselves. They know who and what they are even though we are inundated with so much information concerning what to do with our lives, identities to take on, and what is new and cool in society. These things don’t matter to them. They are rock-solid in their identity, values, morals, and principles. Isn’t it refreshing to either be one of these people or at least to know a handful of them?
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