Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) DEC 2016 / JAN 2017 Aspire Mag Full Issue A Miracl | Page 41

Are You Noticing These 5 Signs? 1 You’re being honest with yourself. You’re exploring what makes you happy. You’re getting in touch with your values so that you can choose a direction that’s aligned with them. You know that taking vacations or retail therapy can make you happy, but only temporarily. They don’t solve the real problems. You’ve figured out that you require something else... or something more. You recognize that you’ve followed advice about what should make you happy without checking-in with yourself first. For example, you read advice from career experts who suggested that you take on more responsibility at work to feel more engaged and enthusiastic. For some people, that’s probably enough, but that advice didn’t work for you because that job is not right for you. Maybe you needed to figure out what you really want to do instead. Being honest with yourself requires more time and introspection than one-size-fitsall solutions, but you’re ready to tackle this. You’re eager to create a life that’s more congruent with who you are. You’re acknowledging your feelings, even when they’re different from everyone else’s. You’re willing to rock the boat because you know your voice matters. You might feel uncomfortable at times but you know it’s a risk worth taking. The alternative is to shutdown within yourself and blend in with your surroundings, but that leaves a hole in your soul. 2 When you look at your life, you see that your family or friends convinced you that your thoughts were stupid and no one should hear them. Maybe you were bullied or physically harmed. So you decided that it’s better to keep quiet, or parrot other people’s opinions, even though you knew, deep down, you didn’t agree with them. Now you’re exploring what you think and how you feel, and you may even choose to express yourself. When you do, you Regardless of other’s reactions, you know that you can’t suppress your thoughts and emotions and stay true to who you are. recognize the difference between trying to convince others and simply sharing your thoughts. Ultimately it’s not about 41 WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH So I chose to define my life and embrace what makes me unique, and even though it’s been challenging at times, I feel freer and more expansive than I ever have. And along the way I’ve discovered some feelings and emotions that you might encounter when you’re ready to live your authentic life.