Living An Authentic Life 1 | Page 6

Why Choose An authentic life? When faced with countless choices in a given day, we may ask ourselves, why should we choose to live authentically? The answer is simple. An authentic life is a life of freedom. It’s a life wherein you do not have to second guess yourself, your decisions or the motives behind them because you are clear on who you are and the directions in life that you want to take. An authentic life is also a life of community. Just as we are made to be aware of our own selves, living authentically teaches us to be more aware of other people and our day-to-day interactions. It brings us a new level of insight as to how people react and why they respond in certain ways. Living authentically gives us a deeper understanding of the world around us and allows us to be genuinely connected with one another because we are clear on who we are and how we want to live each day. Authentic living inspires a life of peace and harmony. Accepting ourselves for everything we are and everything we are not brings a sense of calm. There is nothing in the world that can be quite as reassuring as knowing who you are and being able to trust yourself. However this self-assurance is not to be confused with being self-indulgent or being ego driven. Remember, living an authentic life requires us to continually look at things in an objective manner. You can be completely comfortable with who you are as a person and still experience apprehension. An authentic life does not eliminate adversity or challenges but rather it allows us to not be consumed with what comes our way and provides us the ability to handle things with power and ease. The rewards that come with adapting such a perspective are infinite. These benefits will continue to come to light as we move forward on the path of authentic living. [6] l i v i n g a n a u t h e n t i c l i f e CC B Y - NC - N D 4 . 0