The 7 Habits of Truly Genuine People

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What authentic people do differently than the rest of us, and how you can too. To become one of them you need to explore the habits of truly genuine people.

We tend to value โ€œgenuineโ€ people and think poorly of those whom we perceive as being โ€œfakeโ€โ€”but why is that? After all, what motivates โ€œfakenessโ€ is an effort to appear more appealing or impressive, so shouldnโ€™t we find people who care about our opinions more appealing than those who, by definition, do their own thing regardless of what we think?

Well, no, we shouldnโ€™tโ€”and for three basic reasons:

1. We are much more likely to trust a genuine person than a fake one because we believe those who are true to themselves are also likely to be truer and more honest with us.

2. We often associate genuineness with appealing traits, such as strength of character and emotional resilienceโ€”and correctly so, as being true to yourself takes confidence, tenacity, and often even bravery.

3. We are attracted to uniqueness and individuality, qualities genuine people usually have in spades.

Many journeys of self-improvement and self-discovery involve efforts to live a more authentic life. Adopting the followingย seven habits can help you become a more genuine personโ€”however, balance is important.

Overdoingย any of these mightย do more harm than good so be sure to set moderate, not extreme,ย goalsย when it comes to working on them.

Find out 7 Habits of Truly Genuine People.

1. Genuine people speak their mind.

This is actually a two-step habit. Genuine people take time to figure out their own opinions and perspectives about things, and they are notย shyย about sharing their thought-out opinions with others.

The manner in whichย they share theirย opinions also matters: Genuine peopleย are comfortable presenting their ideasย without expecting or needing to convince others they are right. One thing thatย helps themย get in touch with their true opinions and perspectives isโ€ฆ

Related: Authentic People Do These 12 Things Differently

2. Genuine people respond toย internalย expectations, notย externalย ones.

Genuine people spend time thinking about and exploring their own beliefs, ideals, standards, and expectations because they rely onย the answers to these questions to give them direction and purpose in life.

Of course, identifying your own ideas and beliefsย is not necessarilyย easy, since they can easily conflict with theย beliefs and standards of the families, communities, and cultures in which you were raised. Indeed,ย being authentic is often associated with being brave because youโ€™re then likely to do the followingโ€ฆ

3. Genuine people forge their own paths.

Being authentic is not just about what you think or say but what youย doย and how you are in the world. Being guided by an internal compass means not having to follow the conventional or typical routes others take to achieve their goals.

Therefore, genuine people search for and discover their own unique way of pursuing their passions and purpose, often forging an entirely new path as they do. The risk of forging a new and unproven path is that not all your efforts will be successful.

Related: 7 Signs You Have a Spiritual Gift โ€“ Are You Genuinely Gifted?

4. Genuine people are not threatened by failure.

The reason most people follow conventional routes is they are supposedly โ€œprovenโ€ and โ€œsafer,โ€ and therefore more likely to yield success.

On the other hand, taking the road less (or never) traveled isย risky and can lead to failure. Yet, genuine people do so because theyย are not threatened by the idea of failing.

In fact, theyย view failureย as an integral partย of their journey, a sourceย of learning, and an enriching experienceย from which they can grow. Because they find failures instructive rather than threateningโ€ฆ

5. Genuine people can admit their faults.

To be true to your feelings and opinions you must first be honest with yourself about your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviorโ€”which means confronting the bad along with the good.

As such, genuine people are likely to recognize their faults and shortcomings, to accept them, and toย take responsibility for their actions as a result. Indeed, their general ability to ownย their faults, mistakes, and failures extends beyond how they see themselves such thatโ€ฆ

6. Genuine people are not judgmental of others.

Being honest about their own faults and embracing individuality and differences leads genuine people to be less judgmental and more accepting of the people around them.

Their fundamental assumptions about human complexity and their reluctance to view people via the lens ofย biasย or preconceived expectations allows them a purer perspective that usuallyย leads to direct and honest interactions and relationships. And all of the habits listed above stem from one core psychological characteristic of genuine peopleโ€ฆ

Related: 21 Things That Change When You Start Respecting Yourself

7. Genuine people have solidย self-esteem.

Having solid self-esteem means having stable self-esteem that is neither too high norย too low. (Narcissists, for example, have high but brittle self-esteem.)

As a result, genuine people can tolerate and absorb failure and criticism, admit their faults, and be accepting of others because they are not threatened byย imperfection.

Indeed, having solidย self-esteem means, by definition, that you canย absorb both negative and positive feedback and acknowledge aspects of yourย character that might need work or improvement without diminishing yourย overall sense ofย self-worth.


For scientifically proven ways to manage failure and enhance self-esteem check outย Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure and Other Everyday Hurtsย (Plume, 2014).
Written By Guy Winch PhD.
Originally published on Psychology Today
Printed with permission from the author

Copyright 2015 Guy Winch

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