(Divya rasthra)
Kartikeya Vajpai, Novelist, Author of The Unbecoming, Cricketer and a seasoned lawyer sheds light on how to Lead Authentically in an age of masks. In modern society individuals increasingly live imagined versions of themselves, wearing identities shaped by memory, ambition, and expectation. Pulled between who they once were and who they are expected to become or how they are expected to act to reach greater heights, authenticity gives way to performance. Across corporate spaces and social media alike, personas shift with context, and political correctness becomes not merely a norm, but a carefully maintained mask.
The inauthenticity in long-run will lead to a huge psychological and ethical toll. People will feel the burnout from constant self-editing and decision-making abilities being compromised by bad optics. Unbecoming is a transformative journey towards reconnecting with our soul and discovering our authentic purpose in life. This path helps or at least invites us to abandon the perception to view the present moment through the filters of past attachments, conditioning, fears, biases, and judgments. It delves deeply into the essence of our conditioned patterns, which often obscure our ability to perceive the situation with clarity and fresh perspectives.
Real authenticity is quiet, consistent, and often inconvenient. To truly become what you desire, embrace your authentic self without relying on preconceived notions or illusions of future outcomes. Become the outcome itself. The art of becoming involves fully embodying your desired self with sincerity and confidence. Our goal should be to embody our highest selves, not merely attempt it.
People often forget that it is essential to remain attached to our inner continuity. Our internal state profoundly influences how the world responds to us. When we lose touch with our authentic core or the self we aspire to embody, fragmentation sets in. Doubt, fear, and insecurity arise because the desired outcome begins to feel separate from our lived reality. An excessive focus on external approval weakens and disrupts the frequency of becoming our intended self. The energy we project is inevitably mirrored back to us.
Uncertainty brings resistance, and fear creates friction. On the other hand, when we act with faith, clarity, and a sense of plenty, the outside world responds with openness, trust, and new opportunities.
Any identity we hold on to is, at most, genuine only for a brief moment. The ‘self’ is not something fixed or permanent. Instead, it is always changing, shaped by each new moment. The version of ourselves that felt right just a short time ago quickly fades as things change. When we recognize how temporary this is, we see that there is no unchanging self to defend—just a lively process to appreciate. Realizing this is at the heart of the freeing experience of unbecoming.
The process of unbecoming begins with the humility to relinquish the certainty of “I know.” Familiar frameworks and inherited methods especially those that no longer serve us often obstruct our ability to perceive the present clearly. Conditioned by our intellect and experience, we often project our desires, fears, and expectations onto unfolding moments. We mistake control for wisdom. True wisdom lies in understanding what the present moment asks of us, rather than forcing it to be what we want. Leadership, like authenticity, comes not from rehearsed answers but from the courage to face each moment without preconceived notions.
In a time that valuesshow over substance and performance over genuine presence, the act of unbecoming is a bold choice. It encourages us to let go of rigid identities, discard borrowed certainty and embrace the immediacy of lived truth. The pursuit of becoming in a competitive world focuses on how one wishes to be seen in the eyes of others, whereas unbecoming connects us to that authentic source lying dormant, waiting to be recognized by looking inward. Thus, unbecoming accesses the unlimited potential within us, which can take any shape or form that the current moment demands. Freedom from the notion of becoming is the essence of unbecoming!
