For a positive change in your life, you need to rally new, energizing inspiration from within and act.

Is that possible? How do you do that? If you are miserable or just plain bored or guilty about procrastinating, what can you do to rouse yourself into a spirited and satisfying way of living?

Step One: You begin by giving your situation your attention. You are already doing that by finding this article and reading it. When you give attention to your situation, even the smallest detail, your psyche begins to explore your inner and outer situation.

You are tap tap tapping on and around the blocked section of your psychological configuration. Tiny clues will emerge. Maybe you will notice a class or a book or hear a phrase spoken by a person passing by or at the next table in a restaurant that alerts you.

Step Two: Acknowledge and respect those clues. It’s easy to push them aside. They are so different from what you usually do or think about. You don’t have a space in your routine for them and changing your schedule means changing your priorities and your habits.

So, you reject those indications of a new path. But if you honor step one, the clues will keep coming. Your own psyche will wear down your defenses until you take a chance and follow one of the guides that emerge.

They can emerge in unexpected places. That’s natural. Anything that emerges in an expected place is part of your existing way of being in the world. What you want is new to you, so explore and be attentive to what’s new and different in your experience.

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps - Steps One and Two

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps - Step Three

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps - Step Four

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps - Step Five

Action for Your Authentic Life in Six Steps - Step Six

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Written by Joanna Poppink, MFT. Joanna is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in eating disorder recovery, stress, PTSD, and adult development.

She is licensed in CA, AZ, OR, and FL. Author of the Book: Healing Your Hungry Heart: Recovering from Your Eating Disorder

Appointments are virtual.

For a free telephone consultation, e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.