“Authenticity and joy go hand in hand. Being truly authentic, by making the choices and living in a way that most accurately reflects your deepest beliefs, always brings joy to the soul. Speaking your truth with compassion and conviction, while following the beat of your own heart, is the surest way to experience true joy within your soul. Saying yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no defines authentic living. Authenticity should be encouraged with every choice that a child makes so that he can live in personal freedom and true joy.
Authenticity and joy come quite naturally to children, but as they get older they must be encouraged to continue to go within and really feel a choice in their deepest space.
Experience the joy that rises up from within each time you remain true to your unique authenticity. Engage in the things that you love to do as often as you can. Surround yourself with other authentic individuals. Find out what makes your eyes sparkle and go there frequently. When you feel joy moving freely deep inside your soul, don’t hesitate, for this is God expressing joy through you, and there is no greater gift.
In order for one to be fully joyous, one must be fully authentic.”
Annie Burnside, in “Soul to Soul Parenting”
For more information about this book visit AnnieBurnside.com or Amazon.
Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.
