10 Things to Consider On the Path to Authenticity

“Rise up and walk!” Good morning warrior women. It’s a great Monday to wake up with the preparedness mindset of ‘got to be starting something.’ 🙂  My post today is a bit long, but necessary in its message on recognizing your personal journey to “Knowing.”
You may find yourself wanting to resist the change that’s occurring or about to occur in your life, but believe me; it’s unavoidable as this change will also ensure that you live a more abundant life. In order to help guide you on what can seem a bewildering lifestyle change, I’ve listed 10 subtle mindset occurrences that you might encounter on the path of living with intent and purpose.
1. What worked before in your life, isn’t working for you now. This might include toxic friendships, gossiping co-workers or a job that you no longer feel is fair to its employees and because you’re having feeling of disconnect in these scenarios, you will come to the realization that you must make a change in these areas of your life because you can’t become a silent bystander or less than willing participant any longer.

2. A dead end relationship that keeps stealing your joy and you’re no longer willing to tolerate disrespect or cheating and excuses for bad behavior just because you’ve known him since high school or have a baby by him and you’re still hoping against hope that he will put a ring on it.
You want a better life for yourself with a man who is a “Keeper” and not one who is kept by your insecurities. You will change yourself for the betterment of yourself and if there’s children involved; because you are your children protector and you know your self-worth, you’re no longer willing to settle.
3. You’re okay with saying “No” and could care less when you’re labeled selfish because you know that it’s alright to take some “Me” time and take care of yourself first. Self love means giving you permission to make yourself happy. You no longer care what folks say about you. You wish them well and keep stretching toward becoming a better you. In the words of Guy Finley, “Your opinion of me is none of my business.” 🙂

4. You’re not intimidated by labels, titles and pedigrees. It’s great to achieve a goal of getting a great education and a degree of some sort under your belt, but it doesn’t make you better than anyone else. Titles don’t detract from who you are as a person. If you’re a Butt with a degree, changes are, you were a Butt before getting your degree. If your heart isn’t centered in love, compassion and purpose, no title in the world will make you a success candidate for true happiness.

5. You recognize that Prayer works. Although you’ve always known that God is ever-present in your life, when you’re on a journey to living and walking in your truths, you will not judge how others worship or set out to demean another person’s beliefs. You will pray every day that God finds favor in you. You will strive to life a life of expectancy and good works fueled by compassion, passion and purpose. You are a spiritual being living a human existence and you walk in gratitude.

6. You know yourself through your intuitive “Awareness.” When you learn more about the person you are becoming, you will want to understand the inner self and how intuition works in your life. As humans we consciously think of the 5 senses we’ve been gifted with; Taste, Sight, Hearing, Smell and Touch, but there are gifts beyond the conscious that cannot be explained. This ESP sensory comes from knowing and understanding the power of God manifested in us. I have studied this intuitive knowing and come to understand it as spirit and soul connecting with our outer persona known as the “self.” I am a lifelong student because Intuition is deep and requires much research and understanding, but it is part of who we are.

7. Sharing what you know from personal experience becomes an important focus of your mission to empower others. I became a sort of conduit for women who would come to me seeking information on everything from how to approach an employer about a schedule change to how to approach the court system when seeking guardianship of a child. I have written letters of resignation and grievances. I have even obtained signatures against employers who practice workplace bullying in their businesses. I use my gifts to help make a difference in the lives of others.

There will be opportunities that will present themselves on this journey of change where your voice and actions will be needed to make change happen. Because we are human with human frailties, fear will rear its negative head in attempts to hold you back from doing the right thing. Don’t allow fear to keep you from living with intent. We are all called to serve. Your authentic path will offer you the challenges that come with living a meaningful and purpose filled life. Accept those challenges, even when faced with doubts and uncertainty.
8. You will want to be transparent and share your story with other people. You will step up and step into your role of mentor and coach with trepidation at first, but your purpose will outweigh your fear of rejection. Your story can make a positive difference and help heal the wounds of doubt in another person. You will choose how you share you story of struggle to triumph, but share it you must.
9. You will make a sustainable life by using your gifts. When you become the person that you’ve always wanted to know, you will find yourself wanting to work for yourself. You might not feel confident enough to start your own business, but you have the skills and knowledge to become your own employer if you are willing to work tirelessly to achieve your dreams.
What I’ve learned over the course of 14 years, since starting my journey to living an authentic lifestyle is this: I’m happiest when I’m working to make a positive difference in the lives of others, the ‘underdog’ without voice as in women, children and the elderly.  I know that my contributions have meaning and can impact change. I am an expert in the service of informational tools and products that will ensure a better life for others. I know my worth in monetary value and in the value of my gifts to empower the voice in others and ensure my own prosperity.
Don’t be fooled. Starting your own business is hard. Make sure you have 6 months to a year’s savings for when the going gets rough and it’s going to get lean during those first years of trials and tribulations, but perseverance and a strong belief system in yourself and in your product, will ultimately build trust from other people and set your path to earning bankable income. Keep going in the direction of spirit and motivation.

10. You are not intimidated by another person’s success and do not feel the need to compete in their arena or field of expertise. You have a gift that is uniquely your own and no one else can ever compete with what you have to bring to the table. God wants you to recognize the miracle in you and when you come to know who you are and whose you are, you put away prideful things; greed, envy, jealousy and overt evilness of competitiveness. Your tongue will not be split with backstabbing innuendo and criticisms of others. Nobody likes a Know-it-all, but feel confident in your abilities and know that being authentic allows you to change your mind from being set on negative and confusion to stretching for positive and possibility.

Consider the re-awakenings on your journey and feel free to share your findings with us.

Peace and blessings