Have you ever asked yourself if you're living an authentic life? Have you heard of the term "Authentic Life"? Do you know what that means?

An authentic life means one that truly reflects who you are in all areas. In your home are you, well, you? Or are you someone you think others expect you to be? At work are you fulfilled by your accomplishments? Or do you wait for that paycheck and tell yourself that all the hassle was worth it? In your free time are you living and doing and creating the things and opportunities you want? Or are you watching others do these things while you zone out in front of the television and/or computer?

To live life authentically requires self-awareness. Authentic people realize their strengths and their weaknesses. They don't try to mold themselves into the person they think others want them to be. If you chose to live life authentically, you won't date someone and, in order to get them to like you, change your taste in music, your hairstyle and circle of friends. Being authentic means you are genuine and real about who you are, accepting both your strengths and your weaknesses. By accepting your strengths and weaknesses, your circle of friends and family are more at ease around you. This allows you to be accountable to yourself and to those who mean the world to you.

For many, we are so busy doing stuff and numbing our self-awareness receptors, we never even consider who we are, who we would like to be, and how we are going to get there. The concept of just considering who we are is way too much for many. We have grown up watching others - on TV, in movies and online. We have posters and action figures and cool toy cars to play with. Why decide what you want and how you want to live then you can absorb someone else's life vicariously?

Once you decide the life you would like to embrace, you are one step closer to living an authentic life. For may however, this is scary. It may be contrary to the life you were raised in. It way be different than the one your neighbors and friends live in. If sports cars and SUV's intimidate you and make you feel like you are driving a vehicle just to get you noticed, you may want to drive a hybrid or sedan instead.

The opposite can be true as well. If you never liked driving your safe Subaru or Soccer-Mom-van and opt for a sportier model, you may get heckled by family and friends for having a crisis or show-boating. Cars are just one example. Lifestyle, friends, careers, family, home - all these things are yours to decode.

If other people's opinions and comments are going to hinder you from pursing your desires and goals ask yourself whose life you are living anyway. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is all the more reason to consider what will make your life more authentic. You will find a liberation from feeling pressured by doing something you don't want to do or trying hard to be perfect. As long as you aren't breaking any laws or hurting others, pursuing your dreams - your dreams, not someone else's - will help you live an authentic life. You can reach for your inner abilities and talents - the ones you always knew were there, you just didn't feel you had the permission to pursue them. Give yourself permission and enjoy the YOU that is bursting to come alive.