Every month inside Career Alchemy Academy (CAA) I like to have a word or phrase, a touchstone, for the month that is meant to be a guiding light of sorts.

We explore the traditional meaning of the word and alternative meanings as well.

We look for ways to apply the wisdom from the touchstone to our careers and life.

This month our word is Authenticity.

Authenticity runs deep, ya’ll!

The dictionary meaning defines authenticity as genuine, real and true.

I like to think about the word as a way of being.

Being authentic.

Being true to you.

Living in alignment with your values, beliefs, and who you are. Being genuine, sincere, and honest in actions and words, rather than pretending to be someone else.

Essentially, being authentic means living a life that aligns with your true self, regardless of parental, peer or societal pressures or expectations.

During last week’s CAA coaching call, we kicked things off with an exercise to see what our Authentic Self might have to offer in the way of career advice.

The responses were off the hook!

There were a few folks whose Authentic Self called them by a childhood nickname.

Others cried as they heard what they knew in their hearts was truth.

Your Authentic Self only speaks to you in a voice that is quiet but clear. It is peaceful and calm, resides within the center of your being, is linked to a higher wisdom, is fun, curious and energizes you.

Your Authentic Voice will always and only speak the truth in the kindest and most loving way.

I thought it would be fun to give you blog readers (and LinkedIn Live listeners) an opportunity to hear from your Authentic Self and see what sort of career advice it is dishing up.

The 3 steps to receiving career advice from your Authentic Self

***You will need paper and pen and a timer for this exercise so get it now and have it by your side for this exercise!

🫁 Step 1: Get Still and Breathe

📝 Step 2: Ask and Write

🔎 Step 3: Reflect and Act

Step 1: Get Still and Breathe – Your Authentic Voice is always present and quiet. It does not feel the need to insert itself into other conversations. It waits patiently for you to invite it to participate.

In order to communicate, it helps for you to get still. You will want to do your best to quiet the external noise outside of you and the internal head noise in order to best hear the Voice of your Authentic Self.

The best way I know to do this is by:

• Sitting in a quiet space, feet and arms uncrossed and begin to breathe in deeply through your nose.

• Completely fill your lungs, then take in one more breath, lingering at the top of your inhale.

• Exhaling slowly through the mouth.

• Repeat for a minimum of 5 rounds of this breathwork. Do more until you feel your muscles relax and your mind slow down.

Step 2: Ask, Write and Receive – Get your pen and paper and set a timer for 10 minutes. You will answer the following question by writing. You will not stop writing. You will not be going into your left brain for answers in this exercise. You will be writing from the center of your being where the Voice of your Authentic Self resides.

Ask your Authentic Self: What would you have me know about my career write now?

Step 3: Reflect and Respond – Read over what your Authentic Self had to say and now ask it this question: What is the next right action (which could be no action at all) to take? Then respond.

The world will keep trying to tell you who to be.

Your Authentic Self will keep gently reminding you who you are.

When you learn to trust her voice, your career becomes not just a job, but a journey of becoming.

Is it time to come home to who you really are in your career? If that answer is YES, then we are waiting for you inside Career Alchemy Academy. JOIN TODAY