The first rule of authenticity is honesty.  If you are dedicated to honoring your authentic self, there are some questions that are essential to ask yourself with regularity and to answer with honesty.

What’s your answer to this question (try not to overthink this—just go with the first thing that arises when you read this):

“What am I not doing right now that, if I started doing, would make the biggest difference in my life?”

To probe further, ask yourself: “Why haven’t I already moved in that direction? What am I afraid will happen if I make room for this in my life? Is that really a valid concern—or an excuse so I don’t have to face my fears?”

Then to pack some real punch, follow up with: “If that change is so important to my life, what one step can I take this week—even a small one—to banish doubt or useless excuses and move in that direction?”

If you’re committed to living your authentic life, you’ll take that step.

For your inspiration in taking the next step…

“He began to have a dim feeling that, to attain his place in the world, he must be himself, and not another.”
—W.E.B. Du Bois

“You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.” —Maimonides

Have you stumbled upon any signs or symbols in unexpected places lately—messages meant just for you?

I have. I’ve been taking some time this summer to contemplate my next projects and have been working my way through folders and folders of ideas—scraps of paper with ferocious scribbles, printouts of articles, notes, and quotes I slavishly save. In one folder, stuffed between some odds and ends, were what looked like two sheets of scrap paper I had folded in half to take notes on (I’m big on re-using paper).

One of the pages was totally blank, but the other held a surprise—an unexpected message that had waited nine years for me to rediscover.  I could see the date at the bottom of the second sheet, showing me it was one of those extra blank pages you get when you print out an email. When I unfolded it, though, I saw four words at the top staring back at me: “You Are Dearly Loved!”

I drew in a deep breath and let out a big sigh. I needed that reminder. . . thanks. I really had been hard on myself that week, feeling that I wasn’t producing fast enough.

That same week, as I was looking through another stack of papers, I saw that I had mistyped part of the name of a magazine article I had written down. Instead of “Go Ahead” I had written “God Ahead.” Ah—another message, reminding me that I wasn’t alone, I didn’t have to struggle so darn much, and the guidance I was looking for was right there, just ahead.

Of course, I’ve known for a long time that signs, symbols, and messages—like an intricately designed spiritual feedback loop created personally for us—are all around if we watch and listen for them. But in my panic to push myself, I needed a reminder, and there it was. I knew it wasn’t a mistake to see those two messages just a few days apart.

These signs, divine direction, if you will, come in all shapes and sizes. It may be as simple as turning the page of a magazine and having a headline pop out as if it were speaking directly to you. Or waking up with a string of words in your head. Or walking by a message a child scrawled in the sand that answers the very question you’ve been pondering. Or getting a busy signal over and over when you call to make a certain appointment, showing you that this isn’t the right next step.

(By the way, if you’re looking for a good book with an interesting take on working with signs and symbols, check out Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life by Dr. Paul DeBell, a New York psychiatrist who shows how to use rational techniques to detect and decipher the feedback we receive from the deeper dimensions of life.)

– What signs or symbols have you stumbled upon in unexpected places?
– Where have they led you?
– Are you watching and listening for them?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts . . .