real Archives - Epic Living

5 Reasons To Just Be Who You Are

9 July 2014July 8, 2014Eric

After much searching, maybe you’ve come to the conclusion that it’s much better to just be who you are. I really believe you won’t embrace change until you get to the end of the search.

At the end of a search you should be tired, maybe sick and tired.

I know that many will not go here. They’d rather escape or medicate. It’s sad when a life, brief as it is, is made up in a spiral of dead ends.

Here are 5 reasons to just be who you are:

You will run out of time. You, me, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and everyone else has this in common.
Heaven knows we don’t need any more actors or actresses. I’ve given some Oscar-worthy performances in my life and they left me with nothing.
The secret of success is found in being who you are. Warning here, the world you live in probably has a cheap imitation to offer. If you’re not careful, you could be fooled.
The world is starving for it. With so many people neck deep in their own kingdom building, people are looking for the “real thing.” Many wonder if it really exists any longer. Hope is found in authenticity.
You could find out why God made you. How wonderful! This is a connection you shouldn’t underestimate.

Being Real

18 March 2014March 18, 2014Eric

In many ways being social is an open door to being real. Ever wonder why many don’t go that route? More and more, being social is an open door to being a fake.

The most prominent way of being social in 2014 is found online. We have portals like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn that are rooted in the idea of social networking. These tools give people the ability to tell their story. As you know, the motivations vary from job-hunting, PR, to show boating. Everyone has a voice.

So why aren’t we more real?

In time past (pre-social media), most of us were known by a limited audience. Usually, the span was friends, family and the people we went to school or worked with. This network usually found out about your stuff via phone or getting together in the flesh. In those situations you had a pretty small universe to shine. This probably kept us, for the most part, humble. And humility is what’s missing now.

“Marketing is a lie, so we can tell ourselves a lie, that we desperately want to believe.” – Author Unknown

Fast forward to the now and we have a completely different ball game. Now we’re obsessed by how many likes we get, how many followers we have or who’s in our network. All this for the sake of a lie. Many don’t even know it’s a lie. We’ve watered down truth so much, that we can’t tell the difference. Our endless pursuit of validation and success (defined by a culture in decline) rips apart truth, and the identity it reveals. I equate true identity to being real, no matter the cost. There is no bigger a lie than a life wearing a mask.

If you’re longing for more, then the crossroads is near to your view.

I find it amazing that the world is starving for the real and we stay fixated on the proposition. I’ve made this mistake:

Presenting my story the way I thought I should
Taking engagements because I thought it would make me more viable
Partnering with rock stars because I thought we stood for the same things
Being scared of what people might think
Trusting snakes disguised as angels

Being real is a risk-filled offer. After years of getting this down in my head and my heart, there is no other alternative. Risk is a very reasonable price to pay for such a pay-off as becoming the real thing. The most important part is you’ll start to venture into what lies over the sun . The activities of manipulating just to make a short-term gain, posing as someone you’re not and using people to move your needle will be exposed as a waste of time you don’t have.

Being real is the start of epic living.

We Don’t Need Anymore Actors

13 April 2013April 13, 2013Eric

I'm doing more and more everyday to keep things real with everyone I encounter. This is significant because I'm a recovering actor.

We don't need anymore actors.

Keeping things real now is not such a chore for me now. Occasionally, I'll have an adviser alert me if my writing or speaking is sounding too "corportese" or "suit-like." Nothing against the corporate soldiers, it's just people have enough of that coming at them already.

Maybe it's just too terrifying for some to be who they are. Like the child at recess who feels awkward about asking to join in the game, due to the rejection of the herd previously. Or the adult sitting in the team meeting feeling embarrassed because their boss personally made them an example of what is frowned upon. If I had the ability, I would be right by their sides telling them:

"It's not you! There's nothing wrong with you."

The difficulty in keeping things real is becoming almost epidemic in my country. I mean, let's face it, many worship actors, entertainers, showmen, and celebrities. The lines of what is real and what is not have been blurred. I can understand why you might find it difficult to be who you really are.

The following is a question that came to me about 10 years ago. It stopped me cold when it landed in my ears, went to my mind and settled in my heart:

"Eric, are you really Eric or are you a representative of him?"

We don't need anymore actors. The problems we face, and will face, tell me we're going to need those who are real. People who are humble, wise and unafraid. The actors are only thinking of themselves. Believe me I know from personal experience. They really are not interested in you, just what is yours.

If you find yourself in the actor's camp today, you can look at me as an example of how one person can change. It's worth it.

Humans Being Themselves-2013

22 March 2013March 22, 2013Eric

A repost of sorts.

Does your organization (workplace, church, association) ask you to check your authentic self at the door? If you’re like many, the answer would be yes. Why do organizations value duplication and conformity? More than likely it’s because of insecurities gone wild.

Think about it, if you encounter someone who is different thinking or different looking, what is your fist inclination? Feel threatened? Humanly we feel better around those we think are like us. We look at it as a strange type of validation. Now look at the leaders of the corporations, churches and associations. More than likely these people suffer from the disease of insecurity…times ten.

I was that way.

The “story” has already been told regarding the impact of poor leadership, but now we’re getting the harvest from decades of bad influence. That harvest is manifesting itself in the form of a counter-genuine lifeforce. You know them, there the people who wear masks and “position” themselves in every conversation. These people really don’t know who they are. After years of working and living, it’s not surprising.

Lost and not sure of what to do.

Make your choice now, authenticity or a life of positioning. Remember, if you’re not authentic, you’re a fake. Long live the authentic.