Wednesday, February 18, 2015

There's nothing like authenticity

One of the biggest regrets people have when they reach life's end, it's been reported, is that they ended up doing what others wanted them to do or being what someone else wanted. How sad is that—to reach the end of your life and realize that you were so busy trying to be something you weren't when instead you should have tried to be everything you were!

It's never too late to take a turn in your path if you feel that you've been listening to voices other than your own. Do you feel authentic in what you do and say? Or are your words and actions designed to appease others—or follow a path set for you by someone else?

It can happen easily enough when we're young and in our formative years. Sometimes parents didn't get to do what they wanted and can (sometimes even unintentionally) guide their children onto a path that lives out the parent's dream. Sometimes it's not parents, it's necessity. You didn't get to pursue that college education because you had to get out and earn money for the family. Or the field in which you were interested was not open to you when you finished school. There are many reasons for taking a path that didn't coincide with your passions and dreams.

Sometimes it's more our words and actions than it is our career choice. We may want so much to be liked that we act in ways that aren't true to our nature.

It's always a good time to ask: Am I being true to myself? Does my life feel authentic? Will I die with as few regrets as possible? What do I need to do now to change any of that?

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