Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken: Transform Your Life with the Power of Authenticity

by Mike Robbins

Praise for Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken "Mike's book is a wonderful expression of authenticity in action―clear, honest, instructive, and a passionate call to be your true Divine Self." ―Cheryl Richardson, New York Times best-selling author, Take Time for Your Life

"Mike Robbins provides a clear guide for intelligently and compassionately coming face-to-face with yourself and loving the person you meet. His five principles of authenticity teach us how to embrace and celebrate all aspects of who we are and what it means to be a spiritual being having a human incarnation." ―Michael Bernard Beckwith, author, Spiritual Liberation

"Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken is an empowering and refreshing book about how to be successful, real, and fulfilled in life. I highly recommend it." ―Gay Hendricks, New York Times best-selling author, Five Wishes

"Mike Robbins has written a powerful, down-to-earth, and insightful book on one of the most important aspects of happiness and fulfillment in life―authenticity. Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken will give you tools and techniques to enhance your life and relationships in a profound way." ―Marci Shimoff, New York Times best-selling author, Happy for No Reason

"Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken reminds us that God created each one of us for a unique purpose.?We live in a world where the lines between fake and real have blurred. This powerful book teaches you how to access and express the realness you crave in your work, your relationships, and yourself." ―Jon Gordon, author, The Energy Bus

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Mike Robbins is the author of five books: Bring Your Whole Self to Work, Nothing Changes Until You Do, Focus on the Good Stuff, Be Yourself Everyone Else is Already Taken, and his most recent, We're All in This Together, (April 2020). He's a sought-after keynote speaker and business thought-leader who speaks to groups of all kinds throughout the world.

Some of his clients include Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Gap, eBay, Schwab, Adobe, Genentech, Citibank, the US Department of Labor, Harvard University, the San Francisco Giants, and many others.

Mike and his work have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fast Company, as well as on ABC News and NPR. He is a regular contributor to Forbes, hosts a podcast called We're All in This Together, and his books have been translated into fifteen different languages.

Mike lives in Novato, CA with his wife Michelle and their two daughters. For more information, visit www.Mike-Robbins.com or follow him on Twitter or Instagram @MikeDRobbins or Facebook, www.facebook.com/mikerobbinspage

Reviews

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, fantastic book... a must read!

[Jacob Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read my Mike Robbins that is based on making yourself a better person. I decided to read this book because of the title, it really speaks to me. The controversial topic in this book is one that I struggle with a lot on a personal level. I always think to myself, "Oh, this persons cool, let me act exactly like them and I'll be just as cool." Although that may work, it's not a good thing to do. Everybody is born authentic, with their own unique personality. What makes us each special is that we're all different and unique in our own way. Nobody likes a copy, so don't think that you need to act like someone else to become 'popular.' I really liked the way this book was structured. It was broken up into two main parts; the first one being why we essentially sabatoge ourselves and feel so messed up, and the second part being the five principals of authenticity giving exercises and insight to work on each of the five principals. I actually did each of those exercises, and believe it or not I actually feel more like myself after doing them and incorporating them into my everyday life. One of the exercises was to write a letter to yourself and give it to a friend to hold onto it until they feel it's the right time for you to have it back. I gave it to a friend of mine that I play baseball with. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that they aren't as good or 'cool' as another person based on their personalities. If you feel like you need to change the person you are to be 'cool' or accepted, then this book was written for you, Definitely read it.
I only gave this book four out of five stars because it takes so long to get to the point. It just seems to drag on and on about a simple little topic. Even with that though, it's still a good read and you will learn a lot from it.

[JD Evermore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book! I listened to it on audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, well organized, and well presented. I thought the author gave some excellent pointers about authenticity, and it's something the world desperately needs. Highly recommended!

[Savitha Madhavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved listening to Mike, how we can be authentic...definetly worth re-reading.

[Joseph Petro · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for a work book club - it's a pretty generic book with a lot of ideas and suggestions you hear in basic psychology classes or from any other self help book. I haven't read a ton of books like this, and while it has some useful reminders of helpful topics, it's pretty generic and uninspiring overall. If I read a book like this I'd rather have it written by someone who knows psychology really well and has studied it or someone who was very successful. This guy seemed to think he was destined to be in the major leagues and was only set back by some injuries, but he had a slim chance at even playing a day in the majors as a 9th round pick, had to cut his career short just like 80%+ of the people drafted in that round, then had some other jobs for a short time before he decided to write a self help book. Not exactly an inspirational story. The book has some good advice that will likely just be reminders of things you heard before; like the incredibly common Iceberg metaphor that so many people have seen dozens of times if you work in corporate America. It also has some pretty cringey advice like yelling like Tarzan.

If you want a generalized version of other books like this that seems more like a high-level summary of some other books he referenced, this might be good for you. If you're looking to be motivated by someone or to have a deeper understanding of the topic, I'd skip it.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about how to live more authentically. The information wasn’t earthshakingly new, but it got straight to the point and presented the material enthusiastically. It made me want to go out and try new things!

[Sarah Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing super amazing. Quite repetitive. I expected better.

[J.S. Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and needed to keep a positive mind and to be yourself.

[Kathie Jermstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for it.

[Lianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't change my life, but interesting with some helpful tidbits and an all-around great message.

[Emmanuelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read through this one twice because there are so many good things he brings up. I docked a star for the fact that this book makes you notice too many things about yourself you never focused on before; all things you've always noticed but usually avoided dwelling on. You will learn a lot; there are great tips and suggestions, such as writing yourself a letter, sealing it and having a trusted friend mail it to you at a time of their choosing. While you can read it in one setting, it's best not to, because he has exercises for you to go through and rushing through it may make you miss the point. It can fail into a love it/hate it book, but most readers will probably love it for what it brings out of them, and will hate it for the same reason. Definitely worth reading and keeping on your shelf to loan it to a friend for a few weeks/months.

[adllto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very different book to the last book I read on authenticity which was The Authenticity Hoax and it has perhaps even a slightly unfamiliar understanding of what authenticity is. It is about finding your true Self rather than being your false self or your shadow and in doing so it is to be authentic rather than have authenticity. It is not the common excuse of being true to yourself and not doing anything about your life circumstances.In religious language we might say living to our personal calling,

I found it helpful in a number of places particularly picking up a theme I've read in many places having a realistic view of yourself and yet loving and appreciating yourself.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a God-send for me and my life. I've been bashing my head against the wall doing the same thing but expecting different results. I was introduced to authenticity a few years ago but felt that it just wasnt something acceptable in society..or myself. My oh my how times have changed. Thank you to the author for speaking so honestly and passionately. this is a very easy read, broken up into esentially two parts: Why we sabotage ourselves AKA Why we feel fucked up. 2nd part discusses the five principles of authenticity with great insight and exercises. DEFINITELY DO THE EXERCISES!!!! And finally, he ends with an inspirational call to action. Thank you for this.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the before-publishing copy....really amazing. I learned so much on just being real and vulnerable even when I won't look "cool" or "together" and how that connects us all....powerfully written in an honest and yes, vulnerable voice. I think therapists and coaches should gift their clients with this highly researched, yet easy-to-read book!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book to start the process of truly being yourself. The book was long, repeated itself and felt somewhat over the top in its delivery. I had a hard time with all the grammer and spelling errors as well. I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to start the journey of self discovery.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good lessons about caring for yourself and being true to yourself without being a jerk to everyone else. Mike Robbins comes off as he teaches, authentic, he admits that it's a struggle to be authentic and describes several situations where he struggled and how he got past it. He also relays some real life stories to drive points home. Worth a read.

[Janetymj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read on 'authenticity'--I think it does touch some of the core dysfunctional aspects in my life and my attitudes towards myself and people around me. It's an inspiring book to me. I highly recommend this book if you feel some deep insecurity within you from time to time, whilst everything on the surface looks perfect for you. Very helpful and easy to read :)

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book on how to being really authentic and live your life with integrity, this is the book!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, just not revolutionary. Certainly a great reminder to be authentic.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one, I am a big fan of Mike Robbins.

[Jonathan Minnick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good concepts, I would almost give it 3 stars for its inspirational quality, but there are a lot of big problems with the book.

[Sue Sharples · Rating 3 out of 5]

average - not very readable

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother with this one.