Timothy LongLiving an authentic life means being true to who you are, with yourself, and with others. If you are not happy, if life is a struggle, if you are feeling tired all the time, perhaps you are not being true to yourself. People living an authentic life have greater energy, joy, love, health, creativity, fun, success and peace in their lives.
Here are 5 ways to align yourself with your true nature and begin living an authentic life:
1. Take action on your inspirations, desires, goals and dreams:
Unable to predict the future, we often need to take a risk and act on faith. A client once came to me to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. It turned out with some counseling that underneath she knew what she wanted, she was just afraid to go against her parent’s wishes.
I challenged her to live an authentic life and to go for her dreams as the only way to feel fulfilled and be at peace with herself.
To do so, I suggested she sign up for an acting school she had no money for and her parents would not pay for. The school said she had two weeks to come up with the money.
As she was walking home after signing up for the course, just a half a block away, she saw a brown bag on the sidewalk of a very busy New York City street (St. Mark’s Place). An inner voice told her to go back and pick it up. She did. Inside was the exact amount of cash she needed for the acting course and nothing else.
She called me excited and confused what to do. Since there was not a single marking on the bag, just a brown bag with cash, I suggested she walk back to the school and pay for the course in full. The Universe supports those who are willing to tell their authentic truth, act on faith, and take action to fulfill their innermost desires.
I could tell you many such stories that demonstrate this truth. Go for you dreams, take an action, and if it is aligned with the Universe you will receive support.
2. Ignite your life by changing your habits; continually try something new:
Want to live an authentic life? Then change it up, do something new: drive a different way to work, watch a type of program or movie that is out of character for you, go visit a nearby town or faraway country you have never been to before; go to a store and try on all kinds of clothing that are totally different than anything you ever wore, or ever thought you would; bring someone along that might encourage you to be creative with your style.
Observe all your habits and make changes: use your opposite hand, sleep on the other side of the bed, dance to a new kind of music, get up in the middle of the night and meditate or write; take a nap in the middle of the day. Go against the grain, break old patterns; change up your diet and eat totally new foods; make love or dance blindfolded.
Do the unexpected. Allow yourself to be spontaneous. Continually change the way you do things and recreate your life. Your energy will soar!
3. Make time for yourself everyday where you can reflect, be still, meditate and pray:
The best time might be before bed or first thing in the morning, or both. Make yourself comfortable and insulate yourself from distractions. Perhaps put on some meditative music; with a cup relaxing tea.
This time is for centering and grounding yourself, getting deeply connected and back in alignment with your body, mind, heart and spirit. For those who want to live an authentic life and want to live life to the fullest, this may become your most cherished time of day.
To live an authentic life we need to be in touch with our most authentic selves. With all the distractions and stresses of daily life, taking quiet time out for ourselves to feel our bodies, senses and feelings, to hear our deep inner thoughts, is crucial. Try connecting to your deep self in meditation and out in nature.
4. Take the time to write your thoughts and reflections in a journal:
Take the time to dialogue with your authentic self and she/he will come more alive. Honor your self by writing down your inspirations, insights, reflections and dreams. Allow yourself to pour your heart out, brainstorm, give your intuition full, expressive freedom.
Write out your fantasies, desires, and the life you want to live. Allow your imagination full freedom. Writing and expressing your inner world, making it conscious, holds tremendous power to transform your life. To live an authentic life you need to have an authentic, fully open relationship with your inner, and higher self.
Carry your journal with you throughout the day, or perhaps keep notes on your phone to transfer to your journal later. Sometimes our most true thoughts appear when driving, cooking, cleaning, taking a shower, taking a walk, lying down to sleep or just waking up.
We can also create these sort of moments by taking time out from our busy lives to deep breathe, meditate; to just be with the quiet and stillness.
5. Live authentic relationships:
A client came to me for therapy, feeling his marriage was dead. What was dead was their authentic communication. His wife was desperately wanting to hear his real feelings, and for him to hear hers.
No wonder she did not enjoy sex anymore, and he wasn’t getting what he wanted! I helped him discover his feelings and taught him how to communicate and share them. Is it any wonder they fell in love with each other again!
Authentic communication is the foundation of intimacy and love. Authentic relationships require deeply listening to others, as well as speaking your thoughts and feelings freely and honestly.
This is the basis of great intimacy and love. If you want your love life to come alive, start sharing your innermost feelings and thoughts with your loved ones.
Begin Now:
Sometimes we don’t know how or are too scared to get started. Then find coach or therapist to help you begin. It is okay to not know quite how to communicate your thoughts and inner feelings.
We were all conditioned to some extent in ways of suppressing and repressing our most authentic thoughts and feelings. There is no shame in seeking help in getting unstuck and freeing yourself and your relationships to live an authentic life.
These are just some ways that can enliven and turn on your senses, causing your brain to create new pathways. Did you know your brain’s capacity and intelligence can be increased at any age? You will also have a lot of fun.
I have tried all of these suggestions and more. They made my life better. What will work for you? There is only one way to find out. Begin, try things, experiment with your life.
There is no life worth living more than an authentic life. Everyone enjoys an authentic artist, the visionary, the wild one. We worship them in movies, on TV, in books, and on the street. What about us? What about you?
Life is too short to keep yourself in a box, all tight, afraid and anxious. Put up your sail, the wind will come! Take an action, take a risk, the Universe will reward you!
For those who feel they can’t and others can:
Many people feel they can’t be or achieve the feelings, desires and dreams that are buried down inside of them. Many others feel they don’t have any special dreams or desires.
The truth is, everyone is magnificent, creative, and has things they really want to experience. We just get good at disconnecting and numbing ourselves from our soul’s desires.
Many people have experienced deep humiliation, trauma or other negativity that stunted our growth or closed us down in fear and anxiety. This makes it very difficult to live an authentic life. I know, I suffered that way for years with PTSD and social anxiety. For years my life was stuck, frozen in procrastination.
If your life is being held up or not working, find yourself a therapist or personal life coach. That is what I did. And this is now what I do for others. I help people become free to live authentic, passionate and successful lives.
What can you do to begin living a free, authentic life; your most magnificent self?
Begin, act today!
Timothy
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