Trading truth for comfort is a poor bargain. Living in the shallow end is suffering. Depth is where you’ll discover @TheRealYou. As a young man I suffered from lack of imagination of who and what I could be. I only envisioned a fuzzy, ill-defined future. It was not until about age 40 that I formulated a plan to close the gap to where I wanted to be.

When you don’t identify and claim your birthright as a free soul, you don’t live the bigger life that could have been. On my deathbed or shortly thereafter I imagine I’ll be remembering the depth of love, intimacy, openness and the contributions I made. Nothing else.

I never want to live disconnected from my inner self again. One finds their center by consistent practices such as; self-care, solo time, stillness, honoring emotions and more. When you honor emotions, you don’t have to be consumed by them, but can let them inform your next action.

There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Make your primary commitment be to your own clarity and truth. The answers are in your center, not your head. Every choice is an opportunity to move closer or further from personal integrity. Success comes not from what you know, it comes from what you do. All of us have been found wanting in a moment of truth. The good news is that more moments are on the way. We can dig deep and be ready. We can show up and not run or hide next time.

Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better ~ Jim Rohn

When the going gets tough, the fighter keeps going. An acutely challenging situation often calls forth a person’s best qualities. The more telling test and where true growth occurs, in my view, is practicing everyday toughness. Let’s say that today is a normal day. This is when the average person is most at risk for negotiating away the disciplines that matter.

Skipping meditation or a workout are classic examples of things that are all too easy to let slide. Once you tell yourself that it is alright to pass on the difficult activity just because it is easier to wait for another time, then it will be easier to skip that discipline more and more often going forward.

Personal Journaling Exercise

Do I keep commitments to myself when it is “just another day”?

Do I stay on track when it doesn’t seem to matter or when no one is looking?

Am I determined to be better?

Am I being honest about my own motivation (or lack of motivation)?

Making your self-care non-negotiable will allow you to supercharge your experience of life. All you will ever need is already within you. There is nothing wrong with you and you’re about to discover what’s most right about you. It’s time to stop paying attention to whatever is not you.

This is part of a series of excerpts from my forthcoming book.