Dr Ron Jenson, author of the book Make a life - Not just a living, says:

"To be authentically successful, you must be the same on the inside as you are on the outside. This means being a person of integrity. You must align your inner, private life and outer, public life with the same principles."

Stated differently, the further apart the private self is from the public self, the greater is the amount of mental anxiety that we may experience. The question that you need to ask yourself is whether your everyday behaviour (outer, public self) is congruent with your core beliefs and values (inner, private self)? People who do not have this alignment between belief and behavior often consciously or unconsciously experience a significant amount of emotional distress. This is particularly true when their real, inner selves eventually find a way of manifesting into the public domain, especially when they do not want this to happen. Typical examples are e.g. political leaders having sceletons in the closet. Other easily noticable examples are pop stars and film actors. 

Recently, we have witnessed the manifestation of the true inner selves of various of our Southern African leaders, of which they are desperately trying to distance themselves from. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is just one such an example of a high profile leader showing his true colors. But when we glance at his counterparts in the USA and other areas of the world and the manner in which they have conducted themselves during the last decade or so, we must conclude that the list of truly authentic leaders is sadly shrinking, whether it be in the formal or informal sector.

Many of these leaders, once found out for who they truly are, then try to convince the world that their private lives have no bearing on their ability to perform their work and should therefor not be open to public discussion. What they forget is that their behavior sets the standard by which their followers will conduct themselves, e.g. if the leader commits a crime, then it must be okay for the follower to do the same. Leaders MUST therefor be concerned about their private lives and the way they behave. They are role models to society and unfortunately we live in a world where people are externally driven by what they see as 'fashionable' at the time. It takes courage to be internally driven and to be authentic. 

How often do you pretend to be someone you are not with friends, business colleagues or acquaintences? For us to really make a difference in today's world, we must be authentic. We must have strong character built on Biblical principles. This is the only way that we will have moral authority with the people around us. It is the only sound way to lead a company, a sporting team or a nation. Are you up for the challenge?