I can’t even begin to tell you how many people tell me that they have found “the truth”.  The reality is, what you find to be true is not necessarily what I find to be true.  The Taliban think they know the truth, so do the Jehovah Witnesses, Evangelicals, Baptists, Jewish people, and Muslims. Some may have aspects of truth for you and I and some may not.  But for the followers it is their truth and the truth.

Our perceptions are based on gender, culture, country, religion, age, income, and how we sense the world (such as intellectually, emotionally), to name a few.  The truth is different for all of us. If you asked five people to describe an event, I can pretty much guarantee that you will get five different perspectives and five different truths about the event.  For example, if they all saw the same car accident, they would describe it differently because they would notice different things according to who they are and how they perceive the world.  One would notice the positions of the cars and the damage, one would notice the people and their emotions, etc.

So, ask yourself, if I was not “in fear”; if I didn’t have to worry about what people thought; if my wounds were healed and I was free to follow my soul’s yearning, then who would I be? Where would I go and how would I act upon the world, and the world upon me?

How do you become authentically you?

1. Be responsible for your life and your choices. That means healing your wounds, your childhood, and whatever there is in your life that keeps you stuck. It means to be accountable for who you are, what you say and think and what you put into this world.

If you are unhappy, it is your responsibility to change it.  It is not your fault you were wounded, but it is your responsibility to heal your wounds. You can spend a lifetime blaming others for where you are at in your life, or you can change it.  It is your life and your choice.

Live your life with intention.  Allow no one; no event or circumstance to determine your ability to live life fully and authentically…and most importantly, to do it with joy.  If you’re are not “in joy” you need to look at whatever is in the way of you living fully and enjoying your life!

It is my belief that virtually everyone on the planet has been wounded at some time in their life. No one escapes…but we have a choice on how we process those experiences.  You can’t change the past but you can heal it; reinterpret it and change your future.  Your past is not your future.  You can become bitter and stuck, or you can become better.  You can rise above your past.  It is a choice.

I saw a story about a woman in Africa.  During the war a soldier killed five of her family members.  After the war, he came to her and asked for her forgiveness and she not only forgave him but then befriended him.  They have dinner and talk.  She could have become a victim and stayed bitter for the rest of her life, but she chose a different path.  She chose to “rise above”.  We always have a choice.

2. Be Authentic and Honest with Yourself.

 Tell the truth to yourself. When you rationalize, make excuses, avoid, blame others, feel sorry for yourself and try to please others then you are not telling the truth to yourself.

You can’t please everyone. That’s a fact of life. Too many people go through life basing what they do and say on what they think others will do; how others will judge them and because of fear, they keep ignoring their wants, their desires, and their needs in order to please other people.

When you tell people what you think they want to hear and try to placate everyone, what happens is no one believes you anymore and no one respects you. Your opinion is basically worthless

I know of a woman who was involved in a situation that, apparently was all over the news and “everyone” knew about every detail, or so she thought.  She came to me and said “I’m the woman involved in… and was mortified.  I had not heard about any part of the incident and I’m sure many others were also not aware of what happened. People worry about what others think but the reality is, people are so involved in their own lives that they don’t have time to monitor yours.  It is fear, not reality that keeps us stuck.

You may be “front page news” today, but tomorrow someone else will be there in your place.  Perspective. Things happen so fast and there is so much “breaking news” that very little gets remembered unless it affects us personally.  Can you tell me the  “breaking news” from last month?  I can’t remember…can you?

Living authentically is being true to yourself on the deepest levels of your being.  It is having the courage to look within and see who you are…the wounds, the wisdom, the fear and the courage.  Wounds and fear can be healed.  Then, and only then, do you become authentically yourself.

3.The key to a better life is setting a clear intention.

The question to ask yourself is “What do you have to give up to be fully who you are; to be fully self-expressed (authentic self)?

You can have anything you are willing to get and be accountable for in your life.

What do you believe you can or can’t have in your life?

What is your intention for your life?

Whatever you believe; whatever you focus on is what we create in our lives.  What you bring into your life is not what you say you believe but what you truly believe whether you are consciously aware of it or not.

You can have anything you are willing to get.

Want just leaves you wanting – want is like “tomorrow”.  Tomorrow never comes.

You need to create a vision and then take action steps toward that vision rather than having goals and objectives.  Vision is ongoing where goals are finite.

What are the “Buts” to getting your heart’s desire?  For example, you say you want to travel but you don’t have the money.

You need to focus on solutions.  Define the problem and then spend your time on finding solutions.  Most people get stuck in the problem.

Hopefully, I’ve given you some things to think about; perhaps a way of viewing life differently.  I encourage you to live an authentic life; to be true to yourself on the deepest levels of being.

Embrace your life, your experience, the world…you are an infinite being on a great adventure…embrace it!!!