“you’re never going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s OK”.

I wish someone had shared these words of wisdom with me earlier in life.

I spent many years trying to be everything to everyone. It felt safer and easier to be what I thought other people wanted me to be, but it rarely worked out. Because when you’re busy trying to be someone else’s version of “right”, you end up disconnected from what makes you, you.

But life isn’t a popularity contest. The goal isn’t to win over the most people; it’s to connect with the right people. So, in time, I started to be true to myself. And what I learned was that the more you lean into your true self, the more the right people for you start to appear. If you’re dedicated to the values you hold, the way you communicate, and the energy you bring, then those who naturally align will move towards you.

I’m talking here about people who share your outlook, priorities, and approach to challenge and change.  The ones who back you when things go brilliantly and when they don’t. Who won’t flinch when things get messy, because they weren’t just sold a glossy story. Instead, they saw the real you and signed up anyway.

Authenticity isn’t just how you show up publicly, it’s how you behave when no one’s watching. It’s how you treat people. It’s the environment you build around you. And when you’re brave enough not to dilute your identity just to please the crowd, you’ll see that trust forms; because what you say matches what you do.

This is just as true for organisations as it is for individuals. When a business is clear on what it stands for and lives that day in and day out, then the people aligned to that gravitate toward it. It’s not about polished branding. It’s about honest consistency.

If this makes sense to you, then I encourage you to stop performing. Stop making yourself other than who you are. Because the sooner you do, the sooner the right people will find you, and the sooner you’ll find the path to where you were always meant to be, in life, and in work.