This document discusses ways to live authentically by focusing on common themes from your past, making others feel positively through interactions, feeding positive thoughts and feelings about yourself, identifying real friends who appreciate you for who you are, being prepared physically and mentally to respond from a place of authenticity, expressing your individuality, doing what makes you happy, and spending the new year doing things you love and with people who bring out the best in you.

1. *What are your “Common Themes”
*If you put together a focus group that
included people who went to Elementary
School with you, people you have lived
with, traveled with, and dated, and
people who you work with or have
worked with, what common things would
they say about you?
*

2. *How Do You Make People Feel?
*After interacting with someone (be it a
job interview, a first date, lunch with a
client, breakfast with your spouse, etc.)
how do they feel after your interaction?
How can you leverage your “Common
Themes” to create a positive and
authentic experience for the other
person?
*

3. *How Do You Want to Feel?
* “In my mind two wolves are at war.” said the sage to the young
man. “Which will win?” asked the young man. “The one I
feed”, replied the sage.
* Which wolf are you feeding?
* In order to live as authentically as possible, you need to feel
good. Your inner dialogue has a major effect on your feelings.
How do you want to feel? Energized, optimistic, good about
yourself, happy with your life? We have conditioned thoughts
that we take for the truth. These thoughts are usually not our
most positive and mood boosting. When you start to not feel
good, check in with your thoughts to see if you are thinking
positive thoughts or negative thoughts.
* Feed the wolf of enthusiasm, positivity, self-love…your authentic
self is amazing!
*

4. *Who Are Your Real Friends?
* Last night I read an adaptation of Hans Christian
Andersen’s “The Nightingale” to my daughter. It is the
story of the Emperor of China and a nightingale. The
adaptation focused on the friendship between the two
characters. My favorite quote from the adaptation is from
the Emperor, “Gold and ribbons and jewels do not
enhance your lovely voice. You are the most beautiful
thing in all of China when you are yourself, singing your
pure, sweet song”.
* A real friend is someone who is not impressed by outer
embellishments, they are the one’s who find you
beautiful because of who you are. They are the one’s who
appreicate you in all your authentic glory.
* Sing your song!
*

5. *Be Prepared
* I was never a boy scout, but I have learned that there are
some important ways to be prepared in one’s life and I
am thankful to have learned them early on:
* 1. Have a “Rainy Day” account.
* 2. Eat healthy food and take a multivitamin.
* 3. Sleep, mediate, learn to relax.
* Being prepared will allow you to respond from a place of
authenticity, instead of reacting from a place of fear and
stress.
* Be Prepared, so you can Be Authentic.
*

6. *Be Yourself
* A tweet caught my eye this week, it was “Be yourself;
everyone else is taken”.
* Some steps to being yourself (there are many paths, these
are just 7 ideas):
* 1. Know what is important to you and do not compromise on
these things.
* 2. Do not compare yourselves to others .
* 3. Express your individuality.
* 4. Do what makes you happy.
* 5. Do what feels good.
* 6. Be in the present moment.
* 7. Love yourself regardless.
*

7. *New Year True You
* My suggestions for your New Year’s Resolutions:
* 1. Spend more time doing what you love.
* 2. Spend more time with peolpe who bring out
the best in you.
* 3. Learn new and fun things.
* 4. Rinse and repeat.
* Happy New Year – Be Authenitc!
*