I find it amusing that businesses strive to be authentic, or at the directive of the CEO, more authentic. The thing is, authenticity is the easiest thing there is.

The question, I suppose then, is does what you believe, what you stand for, allow you to build a business that draws people and things that propel the business upward or merely hold it in a constant state of lifelessness.

Now, here’s the part where it gets a little muddier. Some businesses would thrive if they would simply be authentic instead of attempting to be something that’s wrapped up in the mask of industry best practices.

Best practices rob you of your art. No two businesses are alike, just as no two people are alike. Attempting to copy what works for another business is the surest path to mediocrity that exists.

Success in business comes from serving a purpose or reason for being that is much greater than what your business sells. Knowing why you do what you do and attaching that as the only reason you do what you do eliminates any doubt about the authentic nature of your business.

When you uncover a higher purpose that your business serves, or at least the thing that gives you the most joy, and that becomes the total focus of the business, authenticity simply blooms.

Purpose doesn’t really care what you sell; it’s mostly concerned with why you sell it. Purpose invites others to belong to something that gives them clarity about what they truly believe.

Purpose is authenticity. Purpose is strategy. Purpose is advantage. Purpose is message. Purpose is direction. Purpose is innovation. Purpose is proof. Purpose is community. Purpose is balance. Purpose is your gift.