Right after I finished college I was working a job in a restaurant. I was waiting tables and I was looking for that, my first professional job.

And one day I'm waiting tables at the restaurant and this gentleman strikes up a conversation with me and he is like, "Hey, you know, I really like your energy. I like your outgoing attitude. I think you might be a great fit for my company." 

And I said, "Well, what company is that?" 

And he said, "Oh, I'll tell you later."

And he wouldn't tell me, but he prodded me and continued to ask, you know, if I would meet with him.

And I said, "Okay, fine I'll meet with you because I am looking for a professional job. 

And we sat down and I was like, "Okay, tell me the name of your company." 

He's like, "Oh, you know, we'll get to that." 

And starts giving me this whole speech and this whole almost like a presentation or a sales pitch about this company, which he still refused to name. 

And then finally after sitting there for about an hour, and I was like, "You know what? Right now, I'm starting to not trust you. I'm becoming distracted by the fact that you are withholding something and it's making me feel disinterested."

And I said, If you don't tell me the name of your company right now, I'm gonna get up and leave. And sure enough, of course, because my instinct was right this guy was trying to get me to join a multi-level marketing scheme or direct marketing pyramid type of company and I knew it.

And of course, after that experience, because he wasn't being honest and he wasn't being forthright I never wanted to talk to that guy again. He continued to pursue me for several months. I just refused to take his call. 

A very similar thing happened to me with a personal friend of mine just a few years ago who called me and actually it started out as in the context of a personal call. Like, "Hey, let's go grab a drink together."

And then when we got there, it was like, "Oh, well, you know, my real reason for getting together with you is because I have this great opportunity for you that I think you want to get involved in."

And basically she was trying to sell me vitamin supplements and she's like, Oh, you know, this will cure this and that, and, all the stuff. And I was like, Well, I'm not experiencing any of those things. 

But what stuck with me in that experience was the lack of authenticity created a distrust with this person, and it created a disconnect. And who knows if you create a disconnect with somebody who knows if you're ever going to be able to regain trust from that person. 

It's so important to be authentic and to be both honest with yourself and others. 

You need to act with integrity because if you're not being honest with yourself about maybe your strengths and weaknesses or your likes and dislikes, then you're obviously gonna be charting a course into the wrong place, into a place that's not sustainable.

So be authentic. Be honest. Be very real about your strengths and weaknesses and and who you are. 

Honesty and authenticity is key.