When it comes to getting in touch with your authentic self, it is important to realize that the biggest obstacle just might be your negative mindset. If you want to live your best life, you will need to find a way to have a more positive mindset.
While there are many parts of our lives that we can not control, you can control your thoughts, your mindset, and how you act out in the world.
Here are a few tips on how you can overcome the blocks that are in the way of being your authentic self:
Change Your Inner Monologue
Sometimes called self-talk, our inner monologue is constant. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it is probably negative.
A lot of this negative self-talk probably comes from messages we heard as children.
If you were told that you were bad or selfish or even stupid, those words are going to run your thoughts.
The words end up being your inner critic which is mostly negative self-talk.
However, you can reprogram the inner critic and even turn those thoughts into your inner coach!
Start by making a list of all the negative thoughts you hear from your inner critic.
One way to know that the thoughts are negative is if the phrases start with words like “you always” or “you never“.
Another popular negative word from the inner critic is “should“.
Take a look at the list you wrote and cross out the negative words and change them to positive ones.
This is a great way to start changing your negative thoughts. If you have no idea what is going on in your mind you can’t make changes for the positive.
Adjust Your Expectations
Expectations can have a significant contribution to our success or failure. Positive people expect that things will go well.
They believe that problems and mistakes are not going to stop them.
In fact, they see these issues as merely a temporary setback. However, if you expect to fail, you will unfortunately fail.
As a result, you may not even try again.
When we choose the positive no matter what, it is not wishful thinking. It means we have a positive mindset.
Adjust Your Focus
We live in a world where we learn that tells us that we will be dissatisfied if we don’t strive for bigger and better things.
When we step outside this negativity, we are able to be grateful for what we have in life.
When we develop the habit of gratitude, we are actually freeing ourselves from negativity.
It is important to understand, that the more we feel grateful for in our lives, the more resilient we will be when faced with challenges.
You will be happier and more open to receiving all that is good in life.
But the most important thing is that you will be able to rewire your neural pathways in the brain.
You will be able to imprint a mindset that defaults to positivity!
As well, you will begin to see the good things in life and will notice less of the bad.
As you perceive life as positive, your expectations will change. The result is that you free yourself from the weight of negativity!
Techniques to Find Your Authentic Self
When you think about finding your authentic self, you probably think this to be an impossible task.
However, it is just like deep cleaning your home.
When doing a deep clean you move the furniture around so you can clean under it.
You delve into all the nooks and crannies of your home to get rid of the dust and dirt.
Well, finding your authentic self is kind of the same, only you are tidying up your life.
Here are a few ideas on how you can get started in finding your authentic self:
Take Stock of Your Life
Before you start cleaning up your life, you will need to look at how you are doing currently in your life.
Do you have any goals? Are you accomplishing the goals you have? What are the areas of your life you would like to change up?
By taking stock of where you are currently, you will be able to better decide on what is needed to find your authentic self.
Get Rid of Toxic Relationships
If you have people in your life that are toxic, it is a good idea to part ways with them.
These people don’t bring anything positive to your life.
You need people in your life who will build you up, cheer you on when you need a boost.
If you have people who don’t have the best intentions in your life, why are you keeping them?
Clean Up Your Bad Habits
We all have habits but it is the ones that aren’t serving you that you need to get rid of or you can’t live an authentic life.
Bad habits just bring us done. They don’t add anything to our life and in fact, cause a lot of negativity.
It is best to focus on building more positive habits in your life.
Find a Way to Clear Your Mind
We all have a lot going on in our minds. Maybe this is the time to decide if you should find a way to clean things up a little.
One way to do this is to practice daily mediation. This is a great way to clear your mind.
Another way to clear your mind is to journal.
The idea is to get those negative thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
You can be effective in your life if you don’t know what is going on in your mind.
Unplug from Technology
Yes, we live in a world where technology is necessary for so many ways.
However, if you can unplug for a small amount of time each day, you have a chance to relax.
Take some time to put down your devices and take in the world and people around you.
Revive Your Fitness Routine
Are you enjoying your fitness routine less and less? Or do you even have a fitness routine?
Find some time each day to do some sort of physical activity.
It can be something as simple as going for a walk for twenty to thirty minutes every day.
Or you could start a new sport. Get a friend or family member involved with you.
Clean Up Your Diet
A great way to sort your life is to make sure you are eating a clean and healthy diet. Take a look at what you eat in the day.
Are you eating a lot of natural whole foods? Or are you grabbing food at the fast-food places?
Eating healthy will help your well-being in so many different ways.
Clean Up Your Workspace
Whether you work from home or at the office, make sure your workspace is well organized.
It is a great way to boost your productivity.
When you clean up your workspace make sure it is well organized.
There is nothing worse, or more of a waste of time than trying to find any item you need and can’t find it.
Take a Look at Your Goals
This is an opportunity to look at your goals and see if you have workable ones.
Or, perhaps you need to update a goal or change goals since you have already achieved the result you want.
This is also the time to find out what is working for you and make sure you have a plan of action to take.
You should be checking your goals regularly to make sure you are on track.
Here are Some Actionable Steps You Can Take
1. Reflect on the last few months of your life. Make a list of all the things in your life that worked and ones that didn’t work out so well. This way you can make corrections.
2. Take a look at your social media. Are there people you need to unfollow since they seem to annoy you a lot? What matters to you?
3. Schedule your clean-up into a calendar. You can also do a to-do list and check items off as you complete them.
How My Friend Taught Me to Live an Integrated Authentic Life Video:
An important factor of living your authentic self is to get in touch with your thoughts and feelings.
As already stated, journaling daily is a great way to live in the present.
It is also a great way to put your thoughts on paper so you can acknowledge them.
Once you are living a more authentic life, you will find that you are happier and have less stress to deal with.
