Are you living authentically? Are you truly being comfortable in your "own skin." Living Authentically is when you have aligned your important inner world with what you are doing in the outer world--when you have discovered what you love to offer others, when you are listening to your still, small voice within. You can recognize it in others when they are living authentically. There is calmness, an assuredness, a knowingness, a lightness in their way of being.

You are living a good life, an authentic life, when you are using your signature strengths in your everyday world. And for those of you looking to live a meaningful life, you use those strengths to forward knowledge or goodness in some way. We'll have a chance to explore these ideas more fully in upcoming teleworkshops.
You need to know what you value in order to live authentically. What are your top 3? Are you hanging on to old ones that are no longer serving you? Can you eliminate any "busy" activities that are not supporting your values?

The people you surround yourself with are a reflection of your authenticity. Are you engaged in reciprocal, respectful relationships evolving you to higher levels as you support others? Are there people you need to let go of--people you want to approach? You may have heard the old adage, "you become like the five people you hang out with most." I have found this to be true in my life. So while I do spend time helping to lift others up, I also have found it important to surround myself with supportive people who are a little ahead of me in their consciousness.

The question I ask, in almost all of my conversations with people, is "What do you love?" When you are surrounded by things you love and engaging in activities you love, you are living authentically. Whatever receives your time and attention becomes the focus of your life. Are you making what you love your life's center? When you love something, you feel the truth of it and touch it deeply. I can always feel the moment when someone is telling me about something they truly love--the energy palatably shifts, lifts, has a spark--I know I'm in the presence of the divine.

And lastly, I would say folks living authentically always have more than enough money to enjoy their lives. If you are living in alignment with your strengths and values, surrounding yourself with people who support you and engaging in what you love--you are aligning yourself with prosperity.

This fall, reap the good seeds you've sowed and go on to plant even better ones!

ANN RONAN, Ph.D., RScP is a Licensed Practitioner with the United Centers of Spiritual Living. She is co-author of When Work Isn't Working: Spirituality 101 and Work as a Spiritual Path. Her mission is to help individuals acknowledge what they love to do and do more of it.