Living Authentically by Releasing Judgments

Living the life we want is something we all yearn for, but often don’t know how to attain. What makes it feel like an impossible destination? The simple answer is that many people are not living authentically and are challenged by barriers that keep them from pursuing the life they want.

Many people get stuck living in their daily routine, bogged down with tasks and roles they see as obligatory. They are stuck, waiting to “someday” be in a dream job or relationship, move to a new location or simply allow themselves to be truly happy. By living authentically and strengthening our intuition, answers flow more easily and we are better equipped to overcome barriers; creating a life of passion and purpose seems attainable.

Sometimes we wage an internal battle against ourselves and may live this way for many years because of judgments by others, self-judgments and those we have about others. Releasing these judgments is the first and most pervasive barrier on the road to living authentically. As a child, we innately live authentically in our truth and express ourselves freely. But when we are judged, we learn to protect ourselves by concealing our truth. This behavior can continue into adulthood without our being conscious of it.

To reconnect with our truth, the barriers that are keeping us from living authentically have to be cleared. To do this, we must identify where we feel we are judged in life and determine where we are passing judgment on others. If we are judging others, we will most certainly be judged, as well.

What person or circumstance do we blame for not achieving our desired goals? Is the problem centered upon economic conditions and earning more income or a partner’s support of our career? We must find and acknowledge what brings us joy and passion, which could be spending time with our children, being in nature, painting, singing or operating a business.

Identify a “truth word” that describes the feeling we experience when we are living our passion and achieving our goals and desires. Examples of these truth descriptors include easygoing, direct, forthright, decisive, receptive, competent, interactive, elated, caring, motivating, dynamic, open and expressive.

After you’ve determined what you are passionate about and how you feel when you are living your passion (your truth word), look at how those in your life are supporting you in pursuing this and how your actions are supporting it. Do you feel judged when you are living your passion? Is it self-imposed negativity or are you living with a “victim” mentality? This could be what is preventing you from making your “someday” today.

Intuition is a powerful tool. It can be used to create a life of purpose and goes hand-in-hand with living authentically. We are all intuitive by nature, but for many, the ability either lies dormant or the connection slips away over time because it is not used. Moving beyond judgment and negativity isn’t easy work, but it will enable us to reconnect with our intuition and identify how we feel when living in our truth.

Discovering what caused us to move away from our authentic self holds the key to returning to this way of living. Steps to reconnect with intuition include checking in daily—what do we love to do? Is there an activity or subject we can lose ourselves in? Do we still hold onto a childhood passion?

Look for signs or coincidences that validate your internal messaging system and practice listening to an inner voice when making decisions. Above all, release judgments, both self-imposed and those of others. Much of this work is internal, but outside support can also be instrumental to remaining connected to our inner voice during challenges.

If we are not living with passion and purpose, or have feelings of being incomplete, that is often a sign we’re not living authentically or in our truth. We must develop the tools to overcome barriers and reconnect with our intuition to help achieve our life goals. Don’t wait for “someday” to start living the life you want.

Lynn M. Bunch is the founder of the Center for Intuitive Development, in Phoenix, an educational center for self-awareness, personal and professional development and spiritual enlightenment. For more information, visit IntuitiveDevelopment.org.