Time management tips can open new doors, deepening professional relationships. Is this too good to be true? Not at all! Integrating your values clarifies time choices, simplifies your life,
and generates trust.
To seize this power, enhance your authenticity. You have everything to gain. The more authentic you are, the more powerfully you live.
It is your nature to be authentic, to be yourself.
When you are authentic:
1. Your energy increases.
Attempting to present a "safe" front to the world generates stress and drains vitality. Authenticity frees up your energy for pleasurable productivity.
2. You control your time more effectively.
When you express enthusiasm for something you don't really care for, it is harder to reject follow-up invitations. When you are authentic about your preferences, however, possibilities that truly interest you come your way more often.
3. You detect important cues more rapidly.
Therapist Elizabeth Friar Williams wrote that those who attempt to "charm" others frequently fail to identify danger signals in significant relationships. They are too busy attempting to put others at ease to listen to their own intuition.
4. You build trust.
Authenticity deepens respect, because it demonstrates respect. Your words, feelings and actions match, so others take you more seriously.
5. You contribute more.
Fully present, you fully engage. Everyone benefits.
What Makes Authenticity Scary?
Perhaps you associate authenticity with saying whatever crosses your mind. Not censoring your feelings at work can clearly be a mistake! And relationships can be bruised by harsh words.
But authenticity does not require that you blurt out hostile or critical remarks. Nor does it include voicing inappropriate curiosity or crowding others.
Instead of thinking of authenticity as "no holds barred" frankness, view it as
"
integrity in action".
Examples of Productive Authenticity:
* Rather than feign affection, be courteous.
* Don't drag yourself to a company picnic if you don't enjoy them. Politely decline.
* Thoughtfully share your misgivings about a proposed sales strategy, instead of rolling your eyes.
* If you sense strain with a colleague, allow the issue to be raised instead of chattering to distract.
Each of these choices opens your time to achieve what you prioritize. And with sounder relationships and more energy, you can accomplish far more.
Is Authenticity Worth the Risks?
Authenticity is investing in your actual self, and
all investments carry risks. You are laying yourself on the line. However, bringing fuller integrity to work will enrich your life beyond measure. You will be less susceptible to burnout. You will know you are valued for who you truly are. Congruence between your words and actions makes the day run more smoothly for you and for your colleagues. And new doors will open for you to make the most of your energy and your time.
So, how can you begin to clarify your priorities
today to enhance your integrity and to start finding more time?
