Authentic traveled into English through French and Latin, but its deeper roots are Greek. The Greek word authentikós carried the sense of something being original, genuine, or authoritative—something that could be trusted as the real thing. Unlike some words, authentic does not have a simple English prefix + root + suffix breakdown. AUTHENT- Carries the historical idea of being genuine, original, or having real authority behind it. -IC A suffix meaning “relating to” or “having the qualities of.” So authentic came to describe something that has the qualities of being real, genuine, and true to its source. Originally, the word was often connected to whether something was authoritative or genuine—for example, whether a document was the real thing and could be trusted. Over time, we began using authentic for people too. Now when we say someone is authentic, we're saying: What you see, their words, actions, values, and identity aren't just a performance. Being authentic isn't just being different or “being yourself.” It's about alignment. Who you say you are. Who you believe you are. How you actually show up. When those things match, that's authenticity.
Being authentic means showing up as you—not the version of you created to make other people comfortable. It means your words match your values. Your choices match what you say you believe. And who you are doesn’t have to change every time the room changes. Authenticity doesn’t mean everybody will understand you, agree with you, or even like you. It means you’ve decided you’d rather be real than accepted for pretending. So this week… Choose to be AUTHENTIC. Read 2 Understand. Choose Accordingly.