Unfinished business can loom like a large gloomy darkness that falls over us. While it is admittedly difficult to track down and face the storm, it is more difficult not to. We may get accustomed to carrying shame and anxiety, which then become our struggles and our reality. Yet, with clarifying digging, emotional support, and hard work, we can find our way through this turbulence – or, at the very least – see these traits as qualities separate from ourselves.

The distance this provides allows for a wider perspective with different options and opportunities. Unfinished business, like guilt and regret, takes a toll on our health, ability to make good decisions, and our voie de vivre. The sadness we feel can create small pockets of depression into which we slip. 

The goal of our digging and introspection would be, I suppose, to arrive at our most authentic selves. Being the widespread term that ‘authentic’ has become, there is the danger that its meaning may get diluted. Dictionary.com defines authentic as; not false or copied, genuine, real. To me, being authentic is what we do when we cut through our veneers, irrational thinking, and belief systems that no longer serve us. When I laugh exuberantly, have a heart to heart with a dear friend, listen to my favorite musicians, and do yoga, I am authentic. When I concern myself with being liked, or feel insecure, or believe someone else’s truth to be my own, I am not. 

Creating a foundation that helps sustain the harmony of our bodies, minds and spirits, is a step toward authenticity.

I leave you today with two quotes:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” Steve Jobs