Last
week we asked: Saying “yes” AND “no” is
your right. Are you exercising this freedom?
The
results were:
Yes, always: 4%
Yes, most often: 32%
Yes, sometimes: 56%
No, not that often or never: 8%
Compare
these results with the results we received from the previous
question we asked: Are you living your authentic self?
Yes,
always: 6%
Yes, most often: 29%
Yes, sometimes or on occasion: 50%
No, never: 15%
Do
you see the correlation? They are very similar.
Those
who exercise their freedom to say “yes” AND “no” live
more authentically than those that don’t. They live more
authentically because they CHOOSE to exercise their freedoms
and rights.
You
may think that you CAN’T live your authentic self because
someone or something else is MAKING you live in a certain way.
That’s not the real problem, however. The real problem
is that YOU are VOLUNTARILY relinquishing your freedoms and
rights by NOT CHOOSING to exercise them.
A
few weeks ago we said that YOU are responsible for your life;
no one else is. Do you see how YOU and your CHOICES may be
your biggest obstacle to living authentically?
Taking
ownership for your life (your decisions, actions, behaviors,
it’s quality, and the results) is absolutely vital
to living authentically.
You
may be thinking, “Well, that’s easy for you to
say. You don’t know my situation.” That’s
true, we don’t.
But
we do know that we were once there, too–trapped in a
lot of people-pleasing, dysfunctional relationships. (That’s
where a lot of our anxiety came from–trying to live life
based on what others thought or wanted rather than based on
our preferences and choices). And we remained in them because
we thought we had no choice.
Living
authentically means CHOOSING to live authentically and exercising
your freedoms. The more you do, the more authentic your life
will become.
Are
there consequences for trying to live your life authentically?
Absolutely! But the benefits are well worth the consequences.
Next
week we’re going to address some of the consequences
of living authentically and freely.
Have
a great week. |
