I have been thinking about this a lot these last few months.  In the wake of any major life upheaval I imagine everyone looks at their life and ask how they came to be where they are.  I certainly have.  As my friend Barbara pointed out to me the other day I am standing at a crossroads right now, with many paths laid out in front of me.  The choice I need to make is which path to take.

Recently I have been working on my list.  Things I want to do before the end.  If you study what items I have on my list thus far you will note that many of them will require travel, money, and time.  Not to mention planning, study, and a certain comfort with being uncomfortable.

Why has it taken me so long to start working on my list?  Honestly, I was focused on all the wrong things in life.  I worried over my career, what kind of car I drove, or the kind of furniture in my house.  I worried what other people thought of me, and I catered my behavior according to other peoples expectations instead of my own.

At the beginning of the year I had a simple goal.  I wanted to create, live, and experience a positive memory every single day.  Something worth writing about.  Something worth recording.  Something worth remembering.  I was not very good about following this goal.

Over the last week thanks to several good conversations with friends, I have decided to pick a word to live my life by.  A word that will measure each and every single one of my actions.  A word that will help me determine if a choice is good for my soul, or one that should be avoided.

The word I have chosen is authentic.

Choosing this word as my guiding star has already led me to make different choices then I would have normally.  Its changed how I see myself, or at least how I want to see myself, and given me a road map to getting there.

To all those who listened to me this past week, and helped me come to this point…Thank you!