authenticity at the cost of other's feelings?

You are very welcome, Tilia. And good luck out there. Perhaps the Universe has decided it's time for a different set of lessons and has given you this situation to see what you will make of it. And it seems it has nailed your tail down on this one :-)

Perhaps there is no balance needed. I was going to reply to Celery as well but both points could be covered here. "But this all (3 pages so far ) is about the thin line between being authentic and lying in order not to hurt someone with self-esteem issues. " Both imply Separation which there does not need to be. One has authenticity, one has self esteem issues and never the twain shall meet? It seems they already have come crashing together. This might be less about authenticity versus self esteem and more about authenticity tempered with compassion merging with self esteem. Using a little compassion doesn't compromise authenticity, if anything it broadens it. It's like the colours of the rainbow, is there a line between one colour and the next? Both colours remain solid, but in between there's a merging of the two as it goes from this colour to that colour. You can still be you, they can still be them and somewhere in between there's a fuzzy area where it's both or neither of you. Which reminds me of a joke but that aside :-) Think of it along the lines of energy. You have your energy field (use 'aura' if that helps visualise) and you have yours. Both are putting out energy and somewhere in between those energies mingle. In the interests of authenticity meeting the rest of the Universe, perhaps the energies of your authenticity will slightly alter your colleague's energies of low self esteem to become a little more authentic. You rub off on her. In that way you're helping her. If you believe in lessons, the question for me would be what is the lesson? If there are reasons for the two of you to be in the same place, what are they? If your authenticity is that strong, wouldn't it be nice if you could 'put it out there' to help others? People rub off on each other in some way or another.

Originally Posted by Greenslade

This might be less about authenticity versus self esteem and more about authenticity tempered with compassion merging with self esteem.

Like this better. It's a more accurate explanation of the intricate mix. =)

I feel authenticity was elevated as a concept in order to sell New Age books.

As Jesus said, treat people as you would like to be treated. Your intentions sometimes matter more than the response because of the Law of Attraction.