“You are perfect and there is room for improvement” is the Jack Kornfield quote that Ira Israel started off our conversation with on GVK. Our topic was being your authentic self, which is Ira’s passion. His enthusiasm for helping his clients do exactly that was both inspiring and exciting, to say the least.
Listen to our conversation with Ira on this GVK episode:
I got all revved up thinking about how I had tried NOT to be me for such a long time…
Why was I trying so hard not to be my authentic self? Because being me made people uncomfortable. Both GD Megan and I know the struggles of having to find our way with being our authentic self. There are many different ways to jump onto your path to being your authentic self. Ira recommended checking out DW Winnicott’s work, the book Primal Scream, and Adam Grant’s Give And Take.
The best way to be your authentic self is to know who you are.
We cannot share our Light in the world if we don’t know what our light is. So often people tell us what they think is right for us, their hopes and their dreams and their desires. It’s time to put all of that down and ask yourself who am I? Not what your parents hopes and dreams are for you. Not the compromises you’ve made along the way to get you where you are now. But, what are your dreams? What are your likes and dislikes? What do you love? What do you hate? What sparks your soul with passion?
Sit with your self, ask these questions and start making a list. Find out who you are for you and then start on the path to becoming you. The real you. The Divine you. Your authentic self.
My parents did not, did not, did not want me to go into acting.
I tried other things to make them happy, but nothing in the world helped me express the bigness of what I felt as well as acting. So acting is where I focused myself for a long time. Then came the day that acting could no longer contain me. I came to realize that acting was not who I was, it was something that I did. It was a tool to facilitate who I was.
I know, today, that my authentic self is a catalyst. I lead people, organizations, situations into change. The people, places and things around me will change and that’s just the way it is. Being the catalyst is not always comfortable, but it’s who I am and what I do. Instead of bemoaning this as I used to, I embrace my gift. I bring about positive change in all that I do—even in myself, because, as Ira said, I “follow my dharma!”
Check out Ira’s amazing new Beginners Guide To Meditation DVD and connect with him at www.iraisrael.com. Then read his inspiring post about happiness.
Bonus:
Listen to GD Meg’s Tech Timeout Meditation…
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