Making it Work at Work: A Guide to Career Development and Fulfillment (Collection)

Self, Actually: Being Authentic

After presenting and sending out the message from the previous chapter, titled, “Waiting for Nobel,” I received several emails and phone calls from friends and colleagues who noted that this topic—overcoming unhealthy feelings of shame in order to find our authentic selves—struck a deep chord. “I feel that you must have written that just for me,” one friend commented. “I was just struggling with that very issue,” another said. The message ended with simple advice on how to respond when we feel that we are not good enough: lighten up and stop taking yourself so seriously (hence, the Jewish Mother jokes). Based on the response from “Waiting for Nobel,” this chapter attempts to further explore the nature of authenticity ...