noun:
the quality of being authentic; genuineness. – Dictionary.com.

Being authentic means coming from a real place within yourself, your real feelings, desires, wants, and needs, the real genuine you.

It is when our actions and words are in line with  (a reflection of) our beliefs and values.

It is being ourselves, not an imitation of what we think we should be or have been told we should be by society or other people.

The real secret to being authentic is that only you know who you should be, knowing this we know that no one can tell you how to be you except you

In the business world they talk sometimes of wearing different “hats”, meaning being different at home, the office, with your friends, a different character (hat) for each group.
But in doing that we are constantly changing to suit others when in reality for peace of mind we should be authentic in all situations as just being ourself.

By being the same person in all situations we are being true to our natural selves – people will get use to who we are.

“To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable.

We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are.

I’ve learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity.”

– Brené Brown.

Authenticity can be simply defined as “not false or copied; genuine; real.”

or “representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself

or to the person identified.

– Sophie Te Huia.

There are several dictionary definitions of the now-loaded adjective “authentic”:

1.     not false or copied; genuine; real
2.     having an origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified
3.     representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified
4.     entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy

Of these, I connect most with the third on the list—true nature or true to oneself. I also like the words genuine and real.

– Julie Kailus.