Finding Authenticity
Yesterday, I read about how being authentic and loving is a way of bringing magic into the world. That word, authentic, is thrown around quite a bit, and is often defined as being genuine or real. Sounds good, but the articles I read addressing how to be the "real you" were far too vague, or talked about a "real" that was nicely spiritual, but wasn't me. I found a process that is working well for me and this is why: I am authentically different in different situations. Sometimes I lead, sometimes I follow. I tend to fit in with many kinds of people and rarely feel like I'm not being "me." This process makes room for that. The first step is to choose words that resonate with your values. Below is a sample list, but there are many, many more. Start by choosing ten, if that's not enough, there isn't a limit, choose some more. What is most important to you? Abundance Acceptance Calm Community Compassion Confidence Contribution Courage Creativity Diversity Family Freedom Friendship Fun Gratitude Growth Happiness Harmony Health Honesty Independence Integrity Intuition Kindness Learning Listening Love Loyalty Optimism Order Passion Patience Peace Productivity Respect Self-Esteem Service Simplicity Spirituality Strength Tradition Trust Understanding Wisdom Write out your favorites. Add some more. Here's how I did it: on a word doc, I made three columns and started sorting words into them, then moved them around. And around. There are a lot of good ones. I added a few more, combined others that felt the same to me. Hint - it's okay to feel selfish. That really helped me figure out what I felt was important and that really is what this is all about. We'll play with them tomorrow. Love, Nancy












