Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." But how Emerson? The world is full of people ready to advise us, direct us, persuade us, implore us, analyze us, judge us, and ultimately, confuse the crap out of us. Like this, they holler: Hate that! Buy this! Believe that! Honor this! Squash that! Wear this! Do that! Learn this! Ignore that! With all the noise, how are each of us supposed to be able to hear our own quiet, internal voices sweetly speaking our unique, individual truths? While I cannot say that I know the answer for certain, I have been working consciously at this endeavor for years and have developed some tactics that help me ignore the chatter of the outside world and live my truth with commitment and conviction. It is my hope that these tips inspire and empower you to do the same.
Instructions
Live Your Truth
1. Recognize the value of being a truthful person. Think of a time when you were in the presence of a person who was living his or her truth. Do you remember how that feels? For me, it is calming. With a person like this, I don't have to dig for hidden agendas or decipher mixed messages, nor do I have to create a facade about the type of person I am or am not. On the other hand, when I spend time with somebody who lies, manipulates or is unsure about their own truth, I feel uneasy. It's hard to know what to believe or where I stand with such a person. In turn, it makes it harder for me to be truthful. I go into protective mode; I feel on guard and like a detective. When a person lives his or her truth, it allows me to easily live my truth. And when I live my truth, it allows others to easily live their truths. The more you live your truth, the more people will feel calm, centered and inspired in your presence.
2. Become aware of your lies. There are many ways to lie: fabricating stories about your life to make yourself seem more interesting, laughing at jokes that aren't funny to you just to be "polite," saying "yes" to an invitation that you don't want to accept, hypocritically acting in ways that are not consistent with your words and not holding up your end of promises and contracts are just some examples. What lies are you perpetuating to the world and to yourself?
3. Make room for your truth to surface. Your internal truth reveals itself subtly, in a language that is deep, soft and shy. In order to hear and appreciate its message, you must spend time connecting to yourself. For me, this means taking a walk, writing in my journal or having a wild solo dance party to my favorite music in my bedroom. For you it might mean prayer, meditation, hiking, taking a bath, playing music or reading sacred texts.
4. Act like a dog. Have you ever seen a dog "fake nice" to somebody he did not like? No. When a dog doesn't like somebody, he growls, he barks, he avoids that person. I'm not saying to bark, bite or go out of your way to be a jerk to people you do not like, but I am saying that-as a general rule-most of us put way too much energy into being overly friendly to people we would rather have nothing to do with. You don't have to like everybody. Not everybody has to like you. It is OK to be indifferent, distant and contained when in the presence of people you do not like.
5. Before you speak, ask yourself, "Is what I'm about to say true? Could I rephrase my words in a way that would better reflect my essential truth?" Use words carefully, because the things you say have tremendous power.
6. Feel it in your gut. Truth most often radiates from some place other than your mind. The mind can twist and turn, complicate and dilute, while the gut merely responds. This is the purest form of truth. When you get a hunch or a strong instinct, pay attention!
7. Surround yourself with truth-seekers, truth-tellers and truth-livers. The more you are around truthful people, the more you will be able to be truthful yourself. While you cannot be around 100 percent-truthful people, 100 percent of the time, it is important to consciously seek others who value truth in their lives.
8. Watch out for haters. Some people will not like your truth. They will be annoyed, angry, defensive, threatened and scared. You don't need to argue or fight these people, but you do need to pay attention. When you see that somebody is trying to smash your truth, you must give extra attention to remaining strong, calm and centered.
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