authentic living

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

~ St. Francis De Sales

Describe your best self?   Are you living your life authentically?   Become who you are.

You know the answer

     “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu

You know the answer even though you may not know the question that needs to be asked.  The self-help industry is huge.  It offers ways to transform your life into the life you want.   The only problem is that the self-help industry doesn’t answer your question.  

People read and digest self-help information only to find that in a couple of months nothing has change and perhaps the situation is even worse.     It looked so appealing, so powerful and with everyone it seems getting results why doesn’t it work for you?  

You don’t need the answer, you need the question.  

What do you desire from your life?

What do you want to leave behind as a legacy to your contribution here on earth?

What do you want  your family to value in you?

What do you need that satisfies your deepest desires?

What quesiton do you need to ask?

hope lives inside

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.”  Barbara Kingsolver

Hope lubricates the soul and keeps the engine of imagination running.  Hope chases away fear.  Hope walks arm in arm with courage.  Hope leaves a fresh taste in the mouth of dreams.  Hope carries the kite high into the sky. 

Hope never begs.  Hope endures pain, trials and anxiety.  Hope is alive in the hearts of men.  Hope is one step forward.  Hope is a light.

What are you hoping for?

Sometimes you have to step back

Things that make you step back from your world to a world much different than the one you probably live in.

Here’s a link to a powerful story – it is a world unknown to most people but a grim reality for far too many.

Think future

Think about the future, one year, five years, and ten years into the future. What do you see happening at each of those milestone years? Are you planning that far ahead? Are you setting goals that are realistic (in line with your strengths and values)?

What does the next year look like? Are you just surviving each day and hoping that some really great opportunity falls into your lap?

Life doesn’t happen by accident it happens by intention. That means having intentional goals that drive intentional results. When waiting for things to happen will invite a future for sure and it may not be the future you desire. Define the future and work towards making that goal, dream or vision come to life. Be in charge of your destiny rather than having destiny be in charge of your life.

What can you do to make the future happen for you?

Give the future some thought and then take action.

 

“My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.”   Elaine Maxwell

courage to change

It takes courage to change.

It takes courage to change and to become who you were really meant to be.

It takes courage to recognize and accept who you are.

It takes courage to take a step where you haven’t taken one before.

It takes courage to become fully alive in who you are.

It takes courage to quit being who you are not.

It takes courage to not walk in someone else’s path.

It takes courage to live.

It takes courage to forgive.

It takes courage to laugh at your mistakes

It takes courage to thank someone else.

It takes courage to help someone else.

It takes courage to take time out of your day to reflect.

It takes courage to learn something new.

It takes courage to do something new.

It takes courage to make mistakes.

It takes courage to be honest.

It takes courage to be genuine.

It takes courage to be authentic.

It takes courage to cry.

It takes courage to try.

It takes courage to smile.

It takes courage to cheer someone up.

It takes courage to step out.

It takes courage to step up.

It takes courage to live everyday fully.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

Do you have the courage to change?

be inspired

where do you find inspiration?   Is it in the stories of the lives of others?   Is it in the midst of suffering?   Is it in the midst of need?   where do you find inspiration?

Here are a couple of inspirational video clips …

A thousand questions – human suffering, can it be overcome?

Validation    – you are important?   Do you live that way?

Fishing  – like you haven’t seen fishing before.

Each of these videos will fill a different need.   If they don’t fill a need they will expose a variety of emotions.   What do you get out of these video clips?    Are you inspired?

Are you hopeful?

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.
      Emily Dickenson

To live the dream

Occasionally I run into some powerful stories about life, living and living the dream.    Living the dream is such a story.  It is powerful, revealing, and speaks to the intensity of living out the dream.   What do you think?   Are you living your dreams or waiting?

To dream a dream

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.   Anatole France

Dreams can fuel life if they are acted upon.  Take your dream, have you acted upon it?   Have you taken the steps necessary to make that dream come true?

One reason dreams only live in the ephemeral realm of the imagination is they aren’t captured and recorded.   A dream that only lives in the mind is the kind of dream that becomes fantasy.   The dream that is written down can take shape and form and become real.

Some simple steps to take the dream from the imagination to reality would be:

1. Write it down.

2. Reflect upon it.

3. Develop it.

4. Act upon it.

5. Create it.

6. Live it.

What are you doing with your dreams?

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.   Carl Jung

expectations that meet reality

Treat a man as he is, he will remain so. Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can be and should be.”  Goethe

Expectations set too high result in anger.  Expectations set too low result in depression.  

It is when personal expectations greatly exceed or are dramatically below expectations that dysfunction occurs.  The expectation gap creates either anger or mild depression depending on the direction of the gap.

Setting expectations more in line with reality creates enough purposeful stress that drives and fuels the desire but does not result in emotional dysfunction that is often released at other people.

Having expectations of others that aren’t met also result in negative stress.  Other people may not have the same expectations and are delivering results according to their reality and view of the world.   If your expectations are not being realized then reset your expectations to reduce your own personal stress.  The other person is unlikely to share your stress or understand what your expectations of them are unless they have agreed to share your expectations.

Are your expectations aligned with reality?   Is the stress level in your life appropriate for you?