A short time ago, I was having a phone conversation with my very dear friend Shawna, We were discussing my favorite topic of late…authenticity.

While we were discussing, it was clear that authenticity means that you live a life in alignment with your values.

Shawna asked, “So Joe, what do you value, what’s important to you?” I had to stop and think about it for a moment, because to be honest, I was a little stuck.

She then fired the final salvo by asking, “Joe, where are you spending your time and your money because that will tell you what you value!”

WHOA, stop, hold your horses, kill the power, stop the train, shut the front door!! I had never heard that question asked in that way before and it really got me thinking.

So I took out my MasterCard statements and pulled out my checkbook…and that’s when I had an epiphany.  “I am not living in alignment with my values!” 

Once the initial shock wore off I realized this was not the end of the world. It was then I made a decision to regroup and get back on my path towards my authentic self.

5 Questions to Find Your Way Back to Your Authentic Self

Below are the questions I asked in order to get back on track and move towards my authentic self. Feel free to ask yourself these same questions:

1. What do you really love to do? What makes your heart sing? What are the things that you can’t … NOT … DO?
2. How much of your time, energy, and financial resources, are you committing to those things that really light you up?
3. What actions do you need to take to realign yourself with the things that bring you joy and happiness?
4. When will you take action?
5. How will you stay on your path?

The world is a crazy place (2020 has proven this)! It makes so many demands on our time and resources and so it is easy to get distracted from the path we walk that leads us to our purpose and our authentic selves.

We get buried at work, lost in a relationship, or maybe we find ourselves in a situation that consistently robs us of our peace and serenity.

Maybe we allow ourselves to get overrun by fear, buy into the garbage that the media shoves in our face, or start believing the constant barrage of advertising that tells were not enough and shows us how to be more like somebody else…someone, anyone other than who we truly!

All of these things will lead you to a path away from your authentic self. Follow this path too far down you will be end up unhappy, dissatisfied, or tolerating that constant numbness because you are not being true to yourself.

So How Do You Know if You Are On the Path to Your Authentic Self?

You might want to start by examining your credit card statements and your checkbook…it might just be a lighthouse on your path to your true self!