5 Steps to Living with Authenticity & Power
As I sat down to work this past Monday before a holiday week (feeling a little in the weeds tbh - there’s always so much to accomplish before we all check out, ya know!) I stopped to take a few minutes to reflect back on this year.
I read a post recently that said something to this effect: if you’re one of those people that look back on the year and can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by it’s possible that you went through the year with your eyes closed. That idea really hit me. This year I’ve been so incredibly focused on staying awake - becoming mindful and aware of every moment. So I stopped to consider - has this year flown by for me? Maybe a little bit, but it actually feels like my practice of slow-living is starting to take hold. I also am looking back with such gratitude for the massive amount of learning and experiential moments I’ve had.
I truly feel that I am living in my authenticity and power like I never have before. And THAT feels insanely amazing. So here I thought I’d share a few things I’ve embraced this year, 5 practices that have supported me in living with authenticity & power:
5 Practices for Living with Authenticity & Power
Wanna do what you love? Study your butt off, and never, ever thinking you’ve learned it all. Take every class, workshop, or seminar - go to every talk you possibly can. For me this year I’ve been taking online workshops every chance I get. Often times I find classes that are either complimentary or from someone who is offering an introductory rate. Even if I get one little lesson from each class - that’s something!
Find brilliant mentors to expand your values, belief system and relationships. We all grow up with specific subconscious core values that whether we know it or not are programmed into us when we’re little tiny kids. Core beliefs encompass how we see ourselves, others, and how we understand the actions of the universe. We gather those beliefs from parental, societal, peer, and media imprinting and if we’re not aware of it we’ll play out deeply rooted patterned behavior all of our lives. I love finding mentors to learn from about specific things that I just want to know more about - but more so I love finding mentors that expand how I look at the world.
Tap into your intuition and kick that self doubt to the curb. Your physical senses can often give you clues as to how to follow your intuition as you set new goals. Just like the animals know when the weather is changing humans too have this special sense - we’re just so domesticated we often don’t notice this deep inner sense of direction. There’s lots of ways you can dive further into your intuition - through meditation, your yoga practice, or by listening to your dreams for example.
Connect into your creativity. Art facilitates understanding - art allows us to learn more about the experiences of others. By tapping into the emotions, memories, hopes and dreams of others we can better empathize with lives that look unlike our own. By sharing our story, we allow others into our perspective of the world. So maybe you don’t see yourself as an artist - the reality is we all have creative gifts and even if you never share yours outside of the 4 walls of your own home, make a short list of creative talents you had as a child and spend some time each day exploring those gifts. Not sure how to start? Can you think of a visual symbol, a series of words, a quote or a poem that communicates your dreams and ideas? Get out your journal, jot that down and start from there.
Become friends with money. Seriously. If you’ve got a love/hate relationship with money, the energetics around your personal abundance will reflect that. When you decide to take a leap of faith, like booking a one way ticket to another country, consider your preparation. Are you adequately prepared to live with that decision in a way that supports your worth and your integrity? I get asked about the financial aspect of my decision to quit my six-figure job often - my personal recommendation, save every penny you can to prepare for a decision like that. Once you believe you are worth that sort of self exploration, set yourself up for success!
When you reflect back what lessons have contributed to your deeper connection to your authenticity and power this year!? Let’s keep this list going!
Wanderfully yours,
Andi
