Afford Anything

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income

July 6, 2018By Paula Pant

#138: How to Create an Authentic Life

Paula Pant World Domination Summit - Credit Chris Guillebeau

Credit: Chris Guillebeau / World Domination Summit

There’s a famous quote that’s attributed to Henry Ford. The quote says, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

There’s no proof that Henry Ford actually said this. But whether or not that quote is historically accurate, the point remains. If Elon Musk had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a car with better gas mileage.

But Elon never bothered asking. Because he knows you cannot change history from the middle of the bell curve. And he knows that design by consensus, by definition, leads to average results.

He may ask for input on the details. But he will never ask the crowd to guide his vision.
⠀
True innovation comes from vision. We see this in technology. We see this an art, music, writing. But often, we fail to see this in ourselves. We allow the crowd to dictate who we are: what our dreams are, what our goals are, what our fears are. We crowdsource our vision and live a life of “should.”

Authenticity is the art of not giving a sh*t about should.

This sounds fine on the surface, when we’re pontificating about our lives. But it’s much scarier in the real world, when you face the reality that people will judge you. They will criticize you. They will tell you that you’re wrong.

Paula Pant World Domination Summit 2 - Credit Chris Guillebeau

Photo Credit: Chris Guillebeau / WDS 2018

The more you try to step away from should, the more shoulds they throw at you. You should be married. You should have kids. You should have a job.

The thing is, they may be talking about you, but it’s not really about you. Your decisions are triggering to them, and they’re reacting to that.

Authenticity means accepting that if other people get triggered, that’s not your responsibility. You may be the catalyst, but you’re not responsible for their emotions.

And in that regard, authenticity is also the art of setting boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you exclude people from your life. But it does mean that you set healthy emotional boundaries, such that their thoughts and feelings do not become internalized as your own.


This is a snippet from a speech I delivered at the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon last week.

I’m sharing the speech for this July 2018 First Friday bonus episode.

We broadcast one podcast episode per week, and on the first Friday of each month, we roll out a special bonus episode.

Today’s episode is July’s special bonus episode, and I’ve divided it into two sections: during the first half, I share the speech that I delivered, and during the second half, I discuss how and why I wrote this speech — and the key takeaway that I hope people learn from it.

Enjoy!

 

Photo Credit: Chris Guillebeau’s WDS 2018 album


Resources Mentioned:

  • How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World, with Chris Guillebeau – Podcast interview
  • Afford Anything workshops at the 2017 World Domination Summit – a three-part series: episodes 87, 89, and 91
  • Paula’s speech at FinCon Masters – Spring 2017 (on YouTube)
  • Paula’s speech at FinCon Big Ideas – Fall 2017 (on YouTube)
  • @paulapant – Instagram
  • How to Start a Blog in 5 Minutes with Bluehost

Slides mentioned:



listen to afford anything on itunessubscribe on android afford anything

 


Thanks to our sponsors!

Freshbooks

Save time by using Freshbooks, an easy-to-use, cloud-based accounting system that takes the stress and hassle out of bookkeeping and, especially, invoicing. Visit Freshbooks.com/paula for a free 30-day trial. Please mention this show when they ask how you heard about them.


Radius Bank

Do you want your money to make more money? Then check out Radius Bank’s free high-interest checking account. You earn 0.85% APY on balances of $2,500 and up – 12x the national average of 0.04% APY! To get started, head over to radiusbank.com/paula!


Rothy’s

Rothy’s are great for travel!

Rothy’s shoes are stylish, sustainable, and comfortable for every day wear, anywhere. They come in three styles, their lineup is updated often, and I love that they make flats from recycled plastic water bottles! If you want to order a pair and get free shipping (with no minimum), enter the code paula at checkout on rothys.com.

#139: How I Save Half of My Income as a Firefighter, While Living in an Expensive City -- with Kim E.
Next Newer Episode »
#137: Ask Paula - What the F**k Are Annuities?
Next Older Episode »

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Episodes, Lifestyle, Self-Improvement, Psychology and Mindset

Most Popular

Inflation, Illustrated
How Much is Enough?
What if We Quit Setting Goals? (Seriously?)
The Incredible Power of 10x Thinking
  • Binge
  • Questions?
  • Contact
Join 70,000+ subscribers who get free email updates.

© 2021 Afford Anything. Designed By Wilnau Design. Built by Zach Swinehart. Disclosure

© Copyright 2011 – 2025 Afford Anything. All Rights Reserved.

Website by Zach Swinehart.

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income

Afford Anything

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income