"Just be yourself" is limiting career advice.
Because being authentic doesn't mean staying the same.
Growing in your career will require you to do things you haven't done before.
Speak up when you're used to staying quiet.
Advocate for your work, even if you've always believed the work should speak for itself.
Delegate when you're used to being the one who gets things done.
Push back on someone senior, even if that doesn't come naturally to you.
At first, these things will feel unnatural.
Even inauthentic.
Authenticity isn't the same as familiarity.
Something can feel unlike you because you haven't done it before.
That doesn't mean you're pretending to be someone else.
It just means you're doing something new.
If we only do the things that already "feel like us," we turn authenticity into an excuse to stay the same.
So the next time something feels uncomfortable, don't just ask: "Does this feel like me?"
Ask: "Is this consistent with the person I want to become?"
Growth will feel unfamiliar before it feels authentic.
What's something that once felt inauthentic but now feels natural to you?
