THE ART OF AUTHENTIC LIVING: HOW TO LIVE AND BREATHE YOUR TRUTH

Today's post is about being-ness. It is about learning how to be the person you truly are. It is about creating your self and your life from the inside out.

A key aspect of this is authenticity. Being your authentic self. Living your authentic life. To me, this means: find out who you are, and then live it and breathe it.

"What does it mean to live authentically? Living authentically is what you're doing when you find congruence between your inner world: your feelings, values, gifts, needs, spirituality, and passions, and your outer world: your job, relationships, home, and community. When you live an authentic life, these things support and synergize each other" --Susan Piver

For years, I read about the practice of living authentically, yet I never really experienced it. I knew it as a concept. An idea. But embodying authenticity and stepping 100% totally and utterly in to your truth, is a completely different experience. 

I grasped fleeting moments of authenticity when I would find myself immersed in a project, in an area of passion or in a creative task. I felt aligned. I felt like I was doing exactly what I needed to be doing in this moment. I felt clear headed and centred. It was like I was exactly where I needed to be.

While I caught the occasional glimpse of authenticity, living these principles as my daily truth felt impossible. For so long, I felt like I knew who I was on the inside, but I never felt that it was reflected on the outside in my day to day life. 

It has not been until recently that I have actually began to walk my talk. To live and breathe my truth. To be who I really am. For me, living authentically means showing the world who I know I am and ensuring that every decision, every action, every word is aligned with that.

Since I have been doing this I have been feeling new emotions, experiencing magic, witnessing synchronicities. Life has a new level of flow. It has purpose and meaning. I have a goal that feels greater than I will ever be.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE WORLD?

Many of us are not motivated by the idea of living an authentic life and discovering our true selves. Rather we are happy to live a life that bring us superficial satisfaction, fleeting feelings of pleasure, and the love and approval of others. We play a safe game. We do what we think is right. We follow the pack. We keep ourselves comfortable. 

We are very often conditioned to live this way. We are taught who we need to be in order to get love, or what we need to do to get praise. We consequently throw our own inner guidance out the window and replace it with the guidance of others. We lose touch with what we really want for ourselves. We forget who we were really born to be.

To live an authentic life we have to be willing to let all of this go. We have to let go of our old ways of being. An authentic life is about unlearning all the messages you have received from your family, your peers, your environment, and relearning your truth. It is about discovering who you really are.

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF AN AUTHENTIC LIFE?

+ Embodying your truth: You live so completely and utterly in line with your truth, that you never doubt yourself. You honour and trust yourself so completely that you can follow what is right for you whether or not other people like it or agree with it.

+ Living from your heart space: This means that everything you do is motivated by love and comes from a space of love. Your heart is what guides you. You follow your bliss.You can not be authentic if fear is running your life.

+ Being on purpose: You know exactly what you are meant to be doing with your life, and you are doing it. You are connected to a larger meaning in your life rather than the simple day in and day out actions of surviving. You are here to serve.

+ Intuition: You are connected to your inner self. You have an inner awareness. You can connect with your body, your soul and your self, and hear the guidance that comes from the higher part of you. You act on your inspiration.

+ Knowing yourself: You have a beautiful and keen self awareness. You are willing to peel back the layers of your self and discover what is who you really are and what is not. You are comfortable getting familiar with the wonderful aspects of yourself, as well as the deep, dark and not so nice aspects.

+ Courage: You have such a commitment to your authentic life that you are willing to do whatever it takes. Overcome any fear. Triumph over any challenge. Take any risk. 

HOW TO LIVE MORE AUTHENTICALLY

+ Identify your passions: Do you know what you are passionate about? Honestly. Do you know what excites you, inspires you and ignites your little heart? To live authentically, you have to be living in line with your passion. So, if you do not know what you are passionate about I suggest you sit down and start to find out. Get out of your head, listen to your heart and hear what it is telling you.

+ Journal: Journalling is a fantastic tool to help unveil your passions. Start by simply sitting down and free writing, without judgement. Write lists about all the things you love to do. Write about your ideal life. What would be the most amazing way you could spend each day of your life? What are those things that you do, where time just passes? What makes you come alive?

+ Become self-aware: Self awareness is a undervalued principle. Yet, it is the first step to creating beautiful and powerful change in your life. Start to get curious about yourself. What are your beliefs? What are your values? How have you become the person you are? Take some time to introspect. What decisions have shaped your life? What experiences have defined your life? It is impossible to live an authentic life, if you do not know who you are.

+ Choose love: Living authentically will require you to relinquish all of the fear based thinking you have been indulging in. You must choose to love yourself and make decisions based on what you love. You will be required to step out in to the world and in order to do so you will have to let go of the fear that has been keeping you small. Think in loving, support and limitless ways rather than fearful, negative and limited ways.

+ Take inspired action: As you start to connect with your authentic self, you will realise it is not enough to simply know who you are. You have to experience who you are. This means taking new actions and creating experiences in the outer world that match who you are. As you connect with yourself you will feel inspired to act in new ways. It will be these new actions that will begin to define yourself in a new way and change how you are living your life.

+ Let go of others opinions: You are going to have to give up on putting other peoples opinions before your own. You will have to stop worrying about what other people will think. You cannot live an authentic life if you are continuously trying to mould yourself to the preferences of others. To play a big, true, real life you must march to the beat of your own drum and know that the people who truly love you will you support you no matter what.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" -- Dr Seuss


So, over to you! I would love to hear more about your journey...
+ Do you feel you are living an authentic life?
+ If so, what practices have you used to help get you there?
+ If not, what do you need to do to get you there?

DARING MOMENTS: STEP OUT OF YOUR FEAR AND IN TO YOUR LIFE

A few days ago I was faced with the need to make one of those big life decisions. I was at a fork in the road. I had been procrastinating on making this particular decision for a long time, and I knew the day had come to make it. As I sat pondering my options, I weighed up the two paths that lay before me. I knew that whatever path I decided to take was going to completely change the course of my life.

The Two Paths
I thought about the first path. It was definitely the safe road. I had walked this path many times. It was familiar, certain and easy. Taking this path would allow me to continue to glide along in my life as it had been. Nothing would need to change. I would not need to be challenged. I could just keep things the same. Sure, it didn't feel overly inspiring or exciting, but that didn't mean it was not appealing. I could hear a little voice of fear whispering to me to choose this path "The other path will be so hard. Why not just keep it easy and stay where you are?" It said. "What happens if you fail?" 

As I thought about the second path, little bubbles of anxiety began to rise inside me. This would definitely be the more challenging route. This path was new and unknown. It involved risks and uncertainty. I would be well out of my comfort zone and in order to handle it, I would have to stretch myself to be bigger and better than I had before. Although this path seemed scary and daunting, deep down I knew it was the right one for me. Taking this path was something I had dreamt of for years. It was the path of my heart. It was a path that involved all the things I loved to do and all the things I was most passionate about. It was the path I was born to take.

As I sat at this crossroad, I experienced what I call a daring moment. It was as if life was daring me.

"Do it!" It yelled. "Take the second path. I dare you."

And so I did. I made the decision and I followed through with the necessary action. I chose the second path. The path of my heart.

My Daring Moment
In case any of you are wondering what this path was that I decided to take, I will tell you. This week, I enrolled in a training course that will see me become an Advanced Practitioner of Life Coaching. This decision will kick start a brand new career path for me and take me to a completely different place in my life. Those who know me, know that this something I have been thinking of doing for a long time. And as a reader of a life of perfect days, you will know that the field of self development, life improvement, and happy living is a big passion of mine. I cannot think of anything better that getting to do this for a living, so that is what I am going to do! I look forward to sharing more of my journey and of course my learnings with you on this blog over the coming months.

Embrace Your Daring Moment!
Have you ever been faced with one of these moments in your life? A moment where you can decide to either embrace the daring opportunity that life is presenting to you, or let it pass you by?

In the past, I have faced many daring moments where I have chosen to back down and take the easy route. So, what made this time different? I believe there are a few key factors that will either support or destroy your ability to embrace your daring moment. Here is what helped me;

1. Connect With Your WHY
Ask yourself why it is that you would take either path. Is it because it is easier, safer, more certain? Or is it because it sets your heart on fire, ignites your passion and calls you to become a bigger and better version of yourself?

You want to choose the path that is filled with the most joy. It should feel exhilarating to you. If you really connect with your heart and what you are feeling as you think of the 2 options that lay before you, you will be able to determine which is driven by fear and which is driven by love.

If you choose to take the more challenging, yet love filled path, remain connected to your why through the whole process. Remind yourself why you have made this choice. Anytime fear comes up, once again come back to your why. Think about all the amazing positive aspects of this new path you are taking, and move forward with your beautiful end result in mind.

2. Understand Your Fears
Here is the one thing you need to know about fear. Fear = Self Protection.

If you decide to take the second path, there is no doubt that your fearful voice is going to freak out and rush in with a thousand reasons why you should not and can not do it. This fearful voice is trying to protect you and keep you safe. It wants security, stability, comfort and sameness. It does not want to see you fail, as this will risk the love and acceptance that it thinks you need.

Rather than getting all caught up in the drama of these thoughts, just take a step back. Remember, these thoughts are not real. They are simply a self-protective mechanism. Remain calm, and become aware of what is going in in your mind. Identify these thoughts and notice them. Then, all you need to do is simply say to yourself "Thank you thoughts, I know you are just trying to protect me, but I am safe and all is well and only good lies before me." And then, let them go.

3.  Decide. Commit. Act
Once the decision has been made, commit yourself 100% and then follow through with immediate action. If you procrastinate, wait or decide to think about it for a bit longer, you will lose your moment. When the impulse is there you must jump on it immediately. If you wait, you will simply be giving your mind the perfect opportunity to step in and talk you out of it.

You must follow through with action before you have even a second to stop and think what you are doing. Act now, analyse later. Daring moments are lost by deliberation. It is a waste of time. Once you know this is the path for you, then you must follow through immediately.

Prior to making your decision, I do believe that you need to create adequate time and space to get clear on your decision. But unless proactive steps are taken, nothing will happen. Sure, it may feel scary. It will probably completely freak you out. That is ok. This is a good sign. It means you are taking a leap out of your comfort zone, and in to the zone where dreams are created.

4. Be Willing To Not Know
Any time you take a risk in life, you are going to have to embrace uncertainty. You are going to have to forgo your ability to predict and control the outcome. You are going to have to willing to not know how things are going to pan out.

Living this way forces you to become extremely present. When you step on to a bold new path that is filled with unknowns it is impossible to control how things will unfold. All you can do is take life one step at a time. Just take the step that lies before you in this very moment, and do not worry about anything else.

All you can do is set your intention and then show up each day and do what you can. You are not going to have the answers all at once. They will be revealed over time. You need to learn to trust the process that is unfolding, and trust that the Universe is supporting you. The amazing payoff of living a daring life, is by being willing to relinquish some of your control, you actually create a beautiful space for the Universe to step in and help you.

5. Support Yourself
Following a path that takes you out of your comfort zone can sometimes be a rocky road. It can be emotionally and physically testing. So, it is important to support yourself with positive and empowering thoughts, and to take good care of your body through these times of transition. Nurture your body with healthy foods, take adequate time out for rest and set aside time to get quiet and connect with your inner guidance.

There may be times when negative voices try to creep in to your mind to cut you down or hold you back. In order to succeed, you are going to need to be your own cheerleader. Congratulate your self on having the courage to take these steps, encourage yourself when you're facing challenges and give yourself positive reinforcement for all the actions you take along the way. Support yourself the way you would a best friend or a young child. Speak lovingly to yourself and believe in yourself, and you will be much more equipped to handle whatever your daring moment throws at you along the way.

FOLLOW YOUR HEART SERIES #1 - MELANIE COMMONS

This is the first post in the Follow Your Heart Series. This series profiles inspirational women who by listening to their heart and following their inner guidance have changed the course of their life to be one that is now filled with love, passion, fulfilment and bliss. 

The aim of this series is to provide support and hope to others who may feel that they are not on a path that is deeply serving them or who have lost connection with their true passion. It is my hope that you will allow the women in this series to serve as role models to inspire you to start listening to what your inner guidance is whispering, and to find the courage to follow the call of your heart.

The first woman to be profiled in this series is Melanie Commons. Mel and I met while we were both travelling through South America. I instantly felt drawn to her. She has an infectious positive energy, a warm open presence and an a beautiful, playful personality.

Melanie Commons - Yoga and Meditation Teacher
Tell us about what you do?
I am a Yoga and meditation teacher on the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia. I own Golden Yoga and run a boutique yoga studio in Burleigh Heads.

What do you love about what you do?
Everyday I get to wake up and teach Yoga to an assortment of gorgeous students. Yoga changed my life and I am lucky enough to be able to share this with everyone who comes in to my studio.

What does following your heart mean to you?
To me, following your heart means to listen very carefully to your inner voice. To allow yourself to be guided without question to what you intuitively know is right. We all have the strength and courage to do this but sometimes our superficial self (the ego, fear) stands in our way.

Was there ever a time that you were not doing what you loved or following your heart? Tell us about this.
I had a very dark childhood and was unable to deal with what happened to me for a long time. I suppressed deep emotions until it was too much to bear and I had to face my demons. I was living in Sydney and had many people in my life who did not have my best interests at heart. I felt trapped in a world where I was misunderstood and I knew I needed to get out. 
Without really knowing why, I broke up with my partner of 5 years, allowed many friends to disappear from my life, quite my job and decided to go overseas. I then went on a spiritual journey (which I am still on and will be on for the rest of this lifetime!!) which took me out of the life I knew and brought me to where I am today. Yoga has helped me to connect with something deeper, and help me realise that peace cannot be found externally. It is within us.

What was the turning point for you? What made you decide to make a change?
I would have to say the turning point for me was the realisation that I was living a fake life. I was pretending that I was happy when I was actually miserable. Yoga guided me within and allowed me to release the dragon! (I call my inner demons 'the dragon' hehe) Without this 'release' I believe I would still be lost and living a blank existence where everything is repressed and not dealt with. Now I can feel the plateau of peace and happiness and know that it was a rocky road, but gee it was worth it.

How exactly did you make this big transition?
As I mentioned, I literally left my old life behind! I packed up my 'Sydney life' and decided to move overseas. I travelled through South America and Europe for a year and then decided to move back to the Gold Coast to become a Yoga teacher and live on the beach. I have been back on the Gold Coast for almost 2 years and have been teaching Yoga and meditation for a year. 

There were many twists and turns along the way and I had a few struggles, but I learnt so much about myself! My old life now seems like a distant dream. My life now is full of healing and love and I am so happy.

Were there any fears/limiting beliefs that you had to overcome? How did you heal these?
Lots of fears, guilt, and lack of self-belief. I am still healing old wounds and working through some old issues. Yoga and meditation, reiki, kinesiology and deep self reflection have been complete life savers and helped me to let go of the attachment I had with the negative parts of my past. I had to relinquish my grip on fear and invite love and light in. 

How do you deal now with life's challenges?
I have learnt to respond rather than react. Being aware and present and taking responsibility for my actions, rather than placing blame on external situations or people.

What would be your advice for someone who is wanting to make the transition toward doing more of what they love or living a heart driven life?
Listen to what makes your heart sing. Listen to what makes you feel alive and passionate. Trust in yourself and trust that the universe will look after you if you follow your dream. Don't look too far ahead, take each moment at a time and enjoy the journey rather than feel anxiety about the destination!

What are your daily practices to keep you connected to your heart and your purpose?
Yoga, meditation, reading, writing, and spending time outside with my cat. It is the little things that keep me satisfied.

What core beliefs or philosophies underpin the way that you live your life now?
I am a strict vegetarian and I have been for over a decade for ethical reasons. Being kind to everyone and everything is a daily practice for me and makes me feel good. Being conscious and aware of my behaviour towards myself and other people keeps me grounded as well. Knowing that I am in control of how I feel and what happens around me allows me to reflect on my reactions and change what I do not like about my life.

Do you have anything else you would like to share?
Be kind to yourself! We are all so focused on treating everyone else well and we forget about ourselves. We are all perfect just the way we are and when you are feeling down or uninspired please remember this! Choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes everyday. Relax, put your feet up and laugh! Enjoy this moment, right now!

So, what is next for you?
I am currently completing my next level of Yoga teaching which will be finished at the end of the year, and I am looking at moving to a larger studio in the very near future..watch this space! Everyday I am inspired by my surroundings and the people in my life. I am not sure what the future holds but I am excited to find out.

Where can people find out more about you?
I write a blog online which is on my website www.goldenyoga.com.au and you can find me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/GoldenYoga. Please contact me on info@goldenyoga.com.au if you would like to ask me anything xx