Authenic or Real, what's the difference?

 
Being your authentic self....mmmmmm how often can I make the claim to being my authentic self?
And what does it mean anyway? Is being real the same as being authentic? Sounds pretty similar.
I think I'm 'real', I don't pretend to be something I'm not, in a nutshell I'm genuine.
I'm a compassionate being,  I think of others, I try to put myself in other shoes. I do my best to understand where someone is coming from even if their behaviour is objectionable to me.
Basically I live by the motto, 'do unto others'...it's always worked for me.
Being a believer in reincarnation, I certainly don't want to be building bad karma, after all, what goes around comes around in my book of beliefs.

So being 'authentic' is what? I think it's all of the above and I think it's a bit more too.
If being true to yourself meant that your actions might cause another to feel hurt,  would you go ahead? And what if that person is a beloved family member.
Could you allow your true feelings to be seen or heard regardless of what ppl might think?
Is your self esteem, your self worth robust enough to stand out from the crowd, to express a different opinion than the majority and not feel inferior as a result?
Would you take a risk to explore the possibility of achieving your true potential?
How hard is it to stand back when someone you love is out of line and allow them to learn their own lesson from the experience?
Will you feel that people will think less of you because of that person's inappropriate behaviour or will you feel strong in the belief that you are your own person.

For some people it's a goal to work towards and for some people it all seems too hard....as for me, I'm one of the former....it's a work in progress and one day I'll earn my diploma and the real me, my authentic self will finally rejoice.