“The unexamined life is not worth living”- Plato

 

Am I living a lifestyle that pairs with my beliefs and values? That question surfaced in my mind a couple of days ago and I’ve been turning it over in my head since then. It’s a thought that became infectious. I couldn’t escape it. I drew a “Thought Map” and brought my inquiry to close friends and family.  Ample discussion was created and fostered until eventually we had supporting questions and theories that intertwined into a tapestry of new cognition and understanding. It was no surprise that “authenticity” was the word that became the central thread to our tapestry.

 

It’s easy to look around one day and find ourselves in lifestyles that don’t serve us: a job that doesn’t align with our beliefs, relationships that drain us emotionally, commitments that seem never-ending and paralyzing. If you’re a science nerd, you could relate your life to the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that the universe tends toward entropy or disorder. Yes! It does seem that our lives naturally gravitate toward disorder and jobs, relationships, or commitments that do not serve our end goal. For me, that goal is to live authentically and in line with my beliefs and values. Because of this natural progression to an unfulfilling existence, it is our responsibility to monitor our direction and adjust the course every now and then. 

 

Notice that I did not say CHANGE the course, I said ADJUST. When you work through the Thought Map below, it’s important to remember that the goal is not to uproot your life and start from scratch. The goal is to make adjustments within the confines of your reality – to SHIFT your world back in line with your authentic self. For instance, you don’t need to quit your desk job if you think it does not speak to your desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Perhaps you can start adjusting by bringing that difference to your coworkers or customers. 

 

I’ve converted our Thought Map into a series of simple questions so that you can use it for your own personal growth. It’s something I’d like to share with you as I’ve found it to be a great tool in observing my inner story and how it aligns with my outer story! I’ve always found myself most happy when those two are closely aligned. The goal is to use this map regularly to track motivators, ensure that you’re living authentically, and to point you in the right direction when you’ve hit the proverbial “fork in the road”.

 

 So…without further ado:

 

 

Feel free to click the image for a larger view 🙂