Authenticity finds its roots in really simple ideas, for example, living with intention and acting sincerely. All of us make decisions and choices everyday on how we live through our behaviour or what we say.  

When we become real and authentic with ourselves, we don’t feel the need to impress other people because we are content with who we are.  We don’t spend money on stuff we don’t need and don’t seek to impress others because we have nothing to prove.  When we are authentic with ourselves and spend our money in an authentic way we engage in conscious choice.  We are very present and self-aware.

How we live each and everyday says a lot about us.  Most of us spend little time taking stock of our lives to get a clear sense of what we truly value and where we are going.   We have a daily routine that keeps up fully occupied.  We search for more because something just doesn’t feel right in our lives.  We may have become a person we don’t recognize and crave for a more authentic, honest or true existence.

How we spend our money each and everyday says a lot about us.  We may spend our money mindlessly with little thought or consequence to the future because all we really have is today.  Besides, who has the time to budget or reconcile our accounts monthly?  Sometimes it can feel good to spend money because we need a “pick me up.”  But if we spend our money in unauthentic ways, we may be engaging in bad habits that do not fully align to our values or what really matters to us, for example, buying a new car because that’s what everyone else around us is doing or be persuaded to buy the latest and greatest gizmo or gadget.   Sometimes the acquisitions of luxury products are intended to impress.

The term “keeping up with the Joneses” is 20th century American. It originated with Arthur (Pop) Momand’s Keep Up With The Joneses comic strip in the New York Globe. The strip was first published in 1913 and became popular quite quickly.  The ‘Joneses’ in the cartoon were not based on anyone in particular, and they were not portrayed in the cartoon itself. Jones was a very common name and ‘the Joneses’ was merely a generic name for ‘the neighbours’. The notion of keeping up with your neighbors through the acquisition of material items or things dates back a century.  Historians will look back on the twenty first century and evaluate us on how well we kept up with the Kardashians. Yikes.

Pretentious lifestyles are an example of unauthentic living because money is spent with intent to impress.  But at what cost?   Sadly in our desire to keep up or impress others, we may be carrying record debt or a super-sized mortgage to pay for our ‘McMansions.’  We can’t travel or afford even some simple luxuries.  As a result, we are stressed. We worry about money because we are living a lifestyle that may not represent who we really are.

We crave for greater peace of mind but just don’t know how to get off the treadmill or live more authentically.  Here is some food for thought on how to start living a more authentic life:

1. Evaluate how we live everyday.  Every statement, action or choice we make says something about us. We must be deliberate in how we behave and with the choices we make. Try to worry less about what other people think.  You can’t control what other people think or say, but we have the ability to control our own thoughts, feelings and actions.  
2. Define our values.  There is nothing more powerful knowing who we are and what we value. Use your value system as a beacon or guide. If something doesn’t align to your values, don’t bother with it.  Value based living is a recipe for a more joyful existence.
3. Become more self-aware.  Most of us don’t spend enough time really looking at ourselves in the mirror.  We are quick to judge others for their bad behaviour but probably we could all benefit from some introspection. We would be best to take stock of our own lives first to keep it real.
4. Evaluate everything we buy.  We must become very deliberate in how we spend our money, a finite and limited resource.  Don’t waste money on things that have little intrinsic value.  Live the best you can with what you have.   Don’t use credit to extend a lifestyle that isn’t authentic.
5. Impress ourselves (and maybe others) with our talents, intelligence or other qualities such as kindness, generosity, or hard work and not things or trappings.  There will always be people with more money or toys, and those with less. Besides, people will like us better for who we are, and not because of what we have.   

When we are authentic we are purposeful in everything we do.  It feels right because the choices we make are not random, but well thought-out and orchestrated. They align to our values and feel right.  And when we spend our money authentically, our money takes on greater meaning and purpose.   It’s that simple. Really.