Authenticity is popular these days. Celebrity media campaigns encourage marginalized youth to “be themselves.” Even my kids’ summer camp has “Be You” listed as a core value—not just for campers, but also for counselors and camp staff.

But what does it even mean to “be you”?

The fabulous Jeffrey Marsh, of #NoTimeToHateMyself fame and author of How to Be You, has a lot to say about authenticity. When Marsh talked with conservative TV host Dennis Michael Lynch (in a now-deleted clip), he ended the interview with this: “How to be you involves accepting, loving, and discovering who you are.”

Authenticity’s appeal is obvious. Who would you be if you could just “be you”? What if you didn’t have to worry about what other people think of you? Does your body sigh with relief at the thought of all the freed-up time and energy you’d have? Or do you seize up with fear or resistance to the idea?

How does a person even go about being fully authentic, anyway? Here are five tips to get started. To read more from CHRISTINE CARTER, click here.