How can I live a big YES to the adventure of my life? That’s a question I came across recently on Gratefulness.org. And I had to ask a counter question. What is the adventure of my life? Would you laugh if I told you that it was ‘living authentically‘?
Remember that story of the little boy who called out that the emperor was not wearing any clothes, when the rest of the crowd pretended that he was wearing the finest robes? What made that boy say that? Simple. He stated the truth. I’m not sure what happened to the boy after that, but he must have been the envy of a lot of adults! What freedom to state what was the truth!
When I think about what kept the adults from the truth, I realize that it was fear. Fear of being punished. Fear of going against the popular voice. Fear of standing out.
Saying A Big YES To The Adventure Of My Life Means That I Sign on to Being 100% Authentic
Living authentically takes guts. It takes time. It’s not easy to call time on bullshit, even your own!
[box] To me, authentic living means (in no particular order)
- following your inner compass even when it seems to point you in completely another direction from people in your life.
- learning to accept that you’ve made mistakes and owning up to them.
- not glossing over situations in your life or painting a picture of it all being rosy
- taking ownership for relationships and situations in your life and knowing when to walk away from them
- not playing by the rules set by other people
- valuing and respecting yourself
- saying what you need to say
- being grateful for every situation and person, knowing that life lessons come to us in various ways
- being more mindful of your own behaviour
- constantly questioning and seeking the truth.[/box]
Are you saying a big yes to the adventure of your life?
#FridayReflections
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Prompts for 2nd June 2017 are:
- Write about doing something you don’t want to do
- Write about putting together the pieces of a puzzle
- Tea or coffee? Pick your vice
- “So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” – E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly. Use this quote in your post or as an inspiration for one
- Picture prompt (credit: Living my Imperfect Life)
Oh do life lessons ever come in different ways, and I have a feeling another one is on its way. I have my own opinions I sometimes have to call bullshit on. Perhaps one of these may be the topic of a coming blog post. How can I be authentic otherwise?
Being mindful of my own behavior is something I continuously have to work on. I tend to be negative, and too many times wake up with a negative comment on my lips for either my husband, or for myself. But then, I will be shy in a situation where I do need to speak out, I won’t, and that is something else I need to work on.
That for sure need guts… To live authentically is tough, to express your views without generating an army of haters is even tougher. I am really in awe of you for living authentically. Frankly, I still need courage to follow few of the points in your list.
Living completely authentically needs a lot of guts. I try but I know I fail, sometimes knowingly while at other times unknowingly. It’s not easy for sure. Actually, the toughest thing to do really.
I love your 10 points and you show that big adventures don’t have to be what we normally perceive them to be. Living authentically is not always easy and will certainly bring some adventures I would think. #Blogsharelearn
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
Yes! Question to find the truth is so important.
Those are some great reminders of how to live authentically. I’m obviously not doing that! Would love to get back on track…
Living authentically, what a simple way to describe an adventure! It takes a lot of courage yes, and it’s wonderful how you’re keeping up with it. All the points ring true in that list.
“It’s not easy to call time on bullshit, even your own!” I love that! I’d even say especially our own – so easy to recognize it in others, more difficult to do so in ourselves. Great post and I love the selection of prompts – one of these days i may have to join you!
I love your definition of being authentic. Totally agree. It’s not always easy but so essential and worth it. Thanks for the reminder.
Living authentically is a lot of fun.I wish things are this clear to more people .We would have less mayhem in this world then
I love those thoughts. For me, living authentically is important and I have just one rule. I don’t want to hurt people. So sometimes I change the way I approach a person to make them feel valued yet stay authentic to the message I want to convey.
The HR person in me would say – I act on case to case basis 😉