Authentic: genuine, literally self-authored or endorsed.

Self: Your physical and mental being with all its human and unique characteristics.

To become your authentic self begin by knowing yourself. Understand: human nature, what you can change and what you cannot, your own personality traits, learned behaviors, and your values, beliefs, sense of justice, needs, goals, and motives.  Integrate these to form your personal model for human interaction. Discover your signature strengths, and the basis of your true status. Then apply those signature strengths toward your authentic goals. Become an authentic person by aligning your self image, status, and public image. Work toward integration and congruence of your values, beliefs, and actions. Do what you say. Do who you are.

The alignment essential to an authentic person is illustrated here. Actions aligned with your authentic self are authentic behaviors. Actions misaligned with your authentic self are alien, false, fake, pretentious, stressful, insincere, fraudulent, strained, bogus, and not authentic. This is typical of a person who is misaligned, off balance, stressed, alienated, detached, and faking it. When what you do is fully aligned with who you are, you are an authentic person. Authentic people "do who they are" and enjoy gratification, serenity, success, and significance. Authentic people act with more interest, excitement, and confidence and often demonstrate better performance, persistence, creativity, vitality, self-esteem, and general well-being.

Authentic people respond to their intrinsic motives. They exercise autonomy and choose among the extrinsic motives available to them.

References

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, by Martin Seligman

Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation, by Edward L. Deci, Richard Flaste

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

Authentic Happiness Website, by Martin Seligman, director of the University of Pennsylvania positive psychology center.

Knowing Yourself, an Amazon.com Listmania List