When was the last time you laughed from the most honest place within yourself? Think about it. Take a deep breath. Dig deep. When was the last time you gave yourself permission to be who you really are? This blog entry is to help you experience more authenticity in your life. Yes, we all have to go to work, pay our bills on time and drive the speed limit, but within the hustle and
bustle of our everyday lives it is equally important to tap into the sincere, joyful place that exists within us. I know it may seem like another chore on your list, but I want to inspire you to daily experience the real you.
It is my belief that after a little practice of living authentically, the rest of our lives will flow in alignment with all that is magnificently good within us. This is the starting point for living a Spirit-filled life. For a moment, I want you to picture a life free of pain, stress, anxiety and fear. I’m not saying everything will suddenly be perfect, however you will be able to more easily handle all that comes your way.
Here are two of my tools for living more authentically:
1. Consciously choose thoughts, habits and beliefs that promote joy, peace, harmony and love within your life.
Our lives are the result of our thoughts, habits and beliefs- all the good and the not so good. The magic of our life is that we have the ability to choose every thought, habit and belief. With the
power of choice comes the ability to change. We can change our circumstances by choosing different thoughts, habits and beliefs. Yes, some of our thoughts, habits and beliefs have been conditioned into our consciousness by our families, life tragedies, socioeconomics, education and television (yeah, I went there), however with a little awareness, a lot of prayer and maybe even some psychotherapy we can make transformative shifts in our lives.
Take a day to monitor your thoughts, habits and beliefs. Are those thoughts, habits and beliefs promoting joy, peace, harmony and love within your life? If they are not, use your God-given super powers to change them. Don’t worry. Everything (and everyone) will be okay. Actually your life will be better than okay, because you’ll be living authentically and from this place you will attract circumstances that nurture and support the real you.
2. Know what makes you really happy and embrace it daily.
Pull out a piece of paper or open a Word document and make a list of everything that makes you sublimely happy. (Please note that I used sublimely, which means “exalted or elevated in
thought, expression or manner”. In other words, what makes your soul happy?) I want you to consider all the things you may take for granted. As an example, here is my partial list:
1. Eating really delicious, well-prepared food.
2. Listening to house music while I drive.
3. Dancing to the Dave Matthews Band Pandora channel.
4. Listening to personal development/spiritual radio.
5. Watching (or reading) really touching, humorous stories (especially romantic comedies).
6. Following college football (especially USC football).
All of the things listed above, are actions that without fail make me feel sublimely happy and when I do one of the above, I am able to connect to my inner peacefulness. Once you’ve made your list, I want you to commit to doing one thing on your list each day. This will help you
reconnect with yourself and clear out any energy within or around you that is keeping you from living a more fulfilled life. Using this action step will allow you to tune into your authentic energy every day, because it allows you the opportunity to practice being you.
A quick note about your list, do your best to avoid actions that provoke happiness that are contingent on the reactions or behavior of others. An example, I love to cook wonderful food for my friends and family. I did not include that action on my happiness list because so much of my
joy comes from the reactions I receive from others. Praise for my food makes me very happy. Anything to the contrary makes me less than happy. This happiness list needs to be a foolproof way for you to connect daily with your inner self.
If you’re struggling with the steps above, don’t worry. You probably need to take yourself out on date and get to know the real you. Dating is essentially an interview, right? I went through a period of “dating” myself. I turned every activity into an opportunity to get to know my
authentic self. Even something as simple as cleaning out my closet or walking home from work (when I lived in San Francisco) became an opportunity for me to get in touch with the real me.
Just remember, the key to living an authentic life is awareness.
Becoming more aware takes time and effort. Have fun with the process.
bustle of our everyday lives it is equally important to tap into the sincere, joyful place that exists within us. I know it may seem like another chore on your list, but I want to inspire you to daily experience the real you.
It is my belief that after a little practice of living authentically, the rest of our lives will flow in alignment with all that is magnificently good within us. This is the starting point for living a Spirit-filled life. For a moment, I want you to picture a life free of pain, stress, anxiety and fear. I’m not saying everything will suddenly be perfect, however you will be able to more easily handle all that comes your way.
Here are two of my tools for living more authentically:
1. Consciously choose thoughts, habits and beliefs that promote joy, peace, harmony and love within your life.
Our lives are the result of our thoughts, habits and beliefs- all the good and the not so good. The magic of our life is that we have the ability to choose every thought, habit and belief. With the
power of choice comes the ability to change. We can change our circumstances by choosing different thoughts, habits and beliefs. Yes, some of our thoughts, habits and beliefs have been conditioned into our consciousness by our families, life tragedies, socioeconomics, education and television (yeah, I went there), however with a little awareness, a lot of prayer and maybe even some psychotherapy we can make transformative shifts in our lives.
Take a day to monitor your thoughts, habits and beliefs. Are those thoughts, habits and beliefs promoting joy, peace, harmony and love within your life? If they are not, use your God-given super powers to change them. Don’t worry. Everything (and everyone) will be okay. Actually your life will be better than okay, because you’ll be living authentically and from this place you will attract circumstances that nurture and support the real you.
2. Know what makes you really happy and embrace it daily.
Pull out a piece of paper or open a Word document and make a list of everything that makes you sublimely happy. (Please note that I used sublimely, which means “exalted or elevated in
thought, expression or manner”. In other words, what makes your soul happy?) I want you to consider all the things you may take for granted. As an example, here is my partial list:
1. Eating really delicious, well-prepared food.
2. Listening to house music while I drive.
3. Dancing to the Dave Matthews Band Pandora channel.
4. Listening to personal development/spiritual radio.
5. Watching (or reading) really touching, humorous stories (especially romantic comedies).
6. Following college football (especially USC football).
All of the things listed above, are actions that without fail make me feel sublimely happy and when I do one of the above, I am able to connect to my inner peacefulness. Once you’ve made your list, I want you to commit to doing one thing on your list each day. This will help you
reconnect with yourself and clear out any energy within or around you that is keeping you from living a more fulfilled life. Using this action step will allow you to tune into your authentic energy every day, because it allows you the opportunity to practice being you.
A quick note about your list, do your best to avoid actions that provoke happiness that are contingent on the reactions or behavior of others. An example, I love to cook wonderful food for my friends and family. I did not include that action on my happiness list because so much of my
joy comes from the reactions I receive from others. Praise for my food makes me very happy. Anything to the contrary makes me less than happy. This happiness list needs to be a foolproof way for you to connect daily with your inner self.
If you’re struggling with the steps above, don’t worry. You probably need to take yourself out on date and get to know the real you. Dating is essentially an interview, right? I went through a period of “dating” myself. I turned every activity into an opportunity to get to know my
authentic self. Even something as simple as cleaning out my closet or walking home from work (when I lived in San Francisco) became an opportunity for me to get in touch with the real me.
Just remember, the key to living an authentic life is awareness.
Becoming more aware takes time and effort. Have fun with the process.