authentic
Yesterday, The Light After Death by Vincent Tolman made its way to me—I actually think a friend of mine told me about it before, but yesterday was the day I bought it and read it on my Kindle (thanks to flight delays I had plenty of time to read it.
Without ruining the story, the book is about Tolman’s experience of dying, spending time with his spiritual guide, and then returning to life. It’s a fantastic story and a lot of what Vincent shares matches what I’ve read in other books about our souls and life after death, but early in his time with his spiritual guide there was a truth that jumped out to me:
“The first principle you need to learn is to be authentic.”
This is the first thing Tolman’s spiritual guide shares with him, and thankfully, he elaborates on the importance of authenticity. Here are a few more passages I highlighted:
“But the first and most important principle is authenticity. It’s vitally important to our soul’s purpose and happiness. You see, in the physical realm, we are spiritual beings living in a physical body…”
“Being authentic is bringing the physical and spiritual aspects of yourself together, accepting them as they are, and not being ashamed for the world to know the real you.”
“Being authentic is being the same at home. It’s weaving the physical and spiritual parts together, so that all aspects of your personality can be one being. It means being proud of and honest about your strengths, but also acknowledging your weaknesses.”
“Because, until you can find true authenticity in your life, you cannot progress and find true happiness.”
“...the core of authenticity is love. When you truly love yourself, even with your imperfections, then you can truly open yourself up to real growth and progress. Love is like a tangible energy field. It’s like electricity, but stronger. It is what powers everything God has made.”
All. Of. This.
I cannot explain the joy that overcame me in the airport as I read these paragraphs; I’ve known authenticity is important well beyond the reasons it has become a buzzword. It’s why I’m obsessed with living mine and helping YOU find your authentic life. I’ve known happiness and fulfillment live within authenticity, but I couldn’t tell you exactly HOW I know this.
I don’t think I understood the depths of what I‘ve come to understand, but this book highlighted the importance of “authenticity” and increased the purpose of my Daily Notes, the LifeDesign+ podcast, and my work in life planning.
I’ve received confirmation through The Light After Death that the concept of the authentic life, which I arrived at not through Divine intervention, is THAT important—not that I needed more fuel for the fire, but a bucket of gasoline was just tossed on my fire.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
