Lesson: Networking for Success with Adam Rifkin

Step #6 Authenticity: Authenticity is the ability to be your true self

It's a funny thing about authenticity because it takes a lot of courage to really figure out what you truly believe and to be that person. That was not something that came easy. It was something that I learned over time. It is how to be my true self and my true self is somebody who wants to help whenever he can. Letting that come out and actually being that vulnerable is a tough thing to do in business, but the more I did it, the more I learned that there were good techniques for making sure that I was doing it in a way that actually benefited the person I was helping and myself too.

I've seen so many entrepreneurs. The only thing that they all seem to have in common is the good ones have follow-through. They really don't make excuses when something doesn't work out. Instead, they figure out some way to help push it forward or help make it happen. It's gone by many words. I've seen it called tenacious. I've seen it called grit or just perseverance, not giving up, but they all seem to characterize the same thing which is you know when you're an entrepreneur you're signing up for things that are going to be really tough. That's not what normal people sign-up for. Already that's something a little different about you.

But even being aware of that and going into situations where it's going to be tough, you willingly do it. That's because there is something that's in you that's driving you to do it or some notion that you're tapping into something bigger than yourself. But that's the thing that I've seen all successful entrepreneurs have. It is that willingness to just keep going even though it's tough.