Living authentically in the now—the ‘isness’ of life

Alan Watts, philosopher, writer and entertainer

What is ‘isness’? In simple terms, ‘isness’ is existence.

At the heart of isness is the art of living in the present moment. Living in the ‘now’ is one of the secrets to living authentically.

Are you living your life or thinking your life?

Alan Watts, the philosopher, writer and entertainer known for his interpretation of Eastern philosophy, said,

“The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

Watts reminds us to think less and embrace this reality as a unique experience. Because life is an experience, not just a concept and something to think your way through. Right?

Are you taking time to savour precious moments? Are you absorbing your experience with all your senses—seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, resonating? Or are you thinking your way though life? Do you think that you think too much?

Less resistance means less stress

Spiritual leader, Eckhart Tolle, known for his teachings on mindfulness and presence, emphasises the transformative power of embracing "now." Tolle is quoted to have said,

“Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment.”

With acceptance we experience contentment. You can’t argue with what is. Well, you can, but if you do, Tolle says you will experience an emotional/mental suffering.

Acceptance doesn’t mean, you can’t accept things as they are without wanting something different. We can accept the now and want something different for our future—the ‘contrast’ can be a force of motivation. The key is to balance experiencing the very moment you are in with acceptance, as it is, with a sense of allowing, without an inner turmoil of thinking things should be different at that moment. …Get it?

Tolle reminds us to accept life as it is, and to accept our feelings as they arise, which is sometimes easier said than done.

Feeling emotion is a natural and healthy thing to do

Many of us are not taught that it’s not ok to feel our feelings. But the truth is when we do allow ourselves to feel our emotions, they can pass through us like a natural wave of energy, rather than bottle up inside us like a pressure valve, exploding uncontrolled any moment.

Get in touch Authentic State Coaching if you would like to learn how to safely feel and move through your emotions.

The isness of being your authentic self

Living an authentic life is inseparable from the concept of isness. When you fully embrace your genuine self and honour your unique journey, then you're swimming in the lush. calm sea of isness.

Isness is about accepting all your quirks, your talents, and your flaws with open, accepting and forgiving arms.

Acceptance is key. Acceptance of what is, and who and where you are. In knowing who we are, we need to get honest with ourselves.

In the words of spiritual teacher Ram Dass,

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear the symphony of ‘isness’ in your soul.”

Here we are reminded to take time to be still, to be able to hear our truth. Our bodies and spirit speak to us, not only our mind. Agree?

Wayne Dyer, the self-help author and motivational speaker, said

“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.”

I believe that this is our most authentic state—when we are present and alert to the moment, rather than anxious about the future, or weighed down from the past.  In these moments, we are most switched on to our personal power.

The problem can be that most of us struggle to be present in the moment. This is because we carry the baggage or learnt or inherited pains and hurts of the past. Also, many of us haven't learned how to quieten the wild, looping mind or how to calm the restless, needy body. 

Without doing the work and learning to honour our feelings, calm the mind, shift past hurts and be still amongst the chaos, then living in the moment can be a struggle or not ever experiencing in a lifetime.

Success and isness

Mind-body healer and author, Deepak Chopra, might agree that the path to success is paved with isness. 

Chopra said,

“In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself. It will be a permanent Self, rooted in awareness and creativity. Once you have captured this, you have captured the world.”

In other words, let go, and life unfolds. Again, easier said than done right? Letting go takes tools, and practice, and often therapy or coaching. I’m a firm believer in we all must find the right path and support for ourselves. Life is not one size fits all.

Isness and the arts

The arts embrace living in the moment, with isness playing a vibrant and essential role in the life of the artist. 

Imagine chatting with Pablo Picasso, sipping on espresso in an avant-garde café in Barcelona or Paris. He'd remind you that isness is the vibrant core of artistic success.

Picasso said

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

Picasso knew the value of living in the moment, just as children do. He embraced the spontaneity and curiosity of a child—this is where magic and truth can be found.

In the grand tapestry of life, isness is the vibrant thread that weaves success and authenticity together.  Spiritual leaders and art masters remind us that the key to success isn't a distant treasure to chase; it's a joyful embrace of the present moment. 

So, let's raise our cups to the isness, for it's in this very moment that the canvas of success and authenticity is painted, one stroke at a time. 

Sasha x

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Reach out if you would like to learn how to connect more authentically with the present moment, without limiting beliefs, emotions baggage or stress.

Sasha at Authentic State Coaching works with individuals across the world online via Zoom. Authentic State Coaching is based on the Central Coast, NSW north of Sydney, Australia.

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Leadership, honesty and authenticity—inspiration from 8 visionary entrepreneurs

Honesty is like the Renaissance period of art—it's an era of enlightenment and transformation. 

Just like the artistic and intellectual rebirth that swept through Europe centuries ago, we're entering an era where honesty and authenticity reign supreme.

We are increasingly valuing honesty in business, culture, and relationships—including the relationship we have with ourselves, our mental health and wellbeing.

But we are living in a paradoxical world, full of contradiction and irony. 

We value transparency and truthfulness, however, with the rise of new technology, AI and social media we live in an increasingly hyperreal (fake) world. Life often focuses on surface appearances, packed with illusions on what is real, true and substantial.

As we move into the depths of the 21st century, it’s important to do the work to keep grounded and be honest with ourselves amongst all the changes.

With honesty brings change in the world, and with ourselves. 

It's crucial to remember that being honest with oneself is the starting point for transformation.

Recognising your strengths, weaknesses and priorities is like choosing the right colours for your canvas—it sets the tone for the entire artwork.

Being honest with others is like a mirror—reflecting your values and beliefs. Values and beliefs underpin everything in your life. From the reason you are where you are surrounded with the people and things you have, to why you experience conflict, and more. A good life coach (like Authentic State Coaching) can help you unpack your life and values. They can support you to get clear on your life values, and help you take steps to ensure your life is aligned to the things that you believe are important in this short and precious life of yours.

We are witnessing the rise of a new type of leader in our workplaces, businesses and culture. Our new visionary leaders are rejecting old ways of communicating and keeping it real.

Let's draw inspiration from some visionary entrepreneurs who have harnessed the power of honesty and authenticity.

1. Steve Jobs: The authentic innovator

The co-founder of Apple Inc. was renowned for his unwavering commitment to honesty in product design.

Jobs was unapologetically honest about his belief that great design should be simple and beautiful. This honesty with himself and his vision led to iconic products that changed the world.

2. Jessica Alba: The honest businesswoman

Actress Jessica Alba didn't just play the role of a businesswoman; she became one. With The Honest Company, she's on a mission to provide safe, eco-friendly products for families.

Her dedication to transparency and ethical business practices is a testament to her commitment to making the world a better place.

3. Simon Sinek: The why guy

Simon Sinek, famous for his "Start with Why" philosophy, emphasises the importance of honesty in business. He encourages leaders to be authentic and transparent about their purpose and values.

Sinek believes that when leaders are honest about why they do what they do, it inspires both their teams and customers, leading to sustainable success.

4. Brené Brown: The vulnerability advocate

Brené Brown, a renowned researcher and speaker, has made vulnerability her superpower. Her candid exploration of shame, vulnerability, and courage has transformed the way people connect, both personally and in business.

Brown's work is a testament to the transformative power of honesty and authenticity.

5. Warren Buffett: The honest investor

Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time, is known for his honest self-assessment. He doesn't invest in businesses he doesn't understand, and he's candid about his investment strategy.

His honesty with himself has led to a lifetime of remarkable financial success.

6. Richard Branson: The maverick entrepreneur

Richard Branson, the maverick behind the Virgin Group, is synonymous with adventure and authenticity. He's honest about his love for risk-taking and his knack for turning ideas into thriving businesses.

Branson's life is a testament to the liberating power of embracing your true self and living life to the fullest

7. Sara Blakely: The honest businesswoman

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, is candid about the struggles and setbacks she faced while building her empire. Her honesty about her journey has made her a relatable figure in the world of entrepreneurship.

Blakely's authenticity and humour shine through as she inspires others to embrace their imperfections and pursue their truth.

8. Anthony Bourdain: The rock 'n' roll chef

Anthony Bourdain taught us that food is more than just sustenance; it's a cultural adventure. With his laid-back charm and a knack for storytelling, Bourdain was brutally honest about the grit and glory of the restaurant industry.

His authenticity was his secret sauce, inspiring us to savour life's unfiltered flavours.

What can we learn from these trailblazers who embrace honesty and authenticity? 

• Be true to your ideas, even if they challenge the status quo. Honesty gives life to bold ideas, ignites innovation, and fosters deep connections.

• When we are transparent about our values and vulnerabilities, it fosters connection and encourages transformation.

• Recognising your strengths and weaknesses allows you to make wise choices and thrive.

• Honesty in life, is the most delicious way to savour success.

So! Here’s my truth. I’m here for a greater you and a greater world! Get in touch if you’d like to explore creating a life more aligned to your own values and truth.

Sasha x

Elevate Your Life with Strategic Intention Setting—a guide From Authentic State Coaching

Learn the value and science of intention setting—and download a free intention visualisation.

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In our fast-paced and often chaotic lives, finding ways to stay focused, maintain clarity, and achieve success can feel like an uphill battle.

Setting an intention is the deliberate act of defining what you want to achieve and how you want to show up in a specific situation, project, or even your daily life. It's about consciously choosing your mindset and approach to align with your goals and values. Intentions go beyond traditional goal-setting; they are about how you want to feel and be while pursuing your objectives.

You can harness the power of intention setting before you start your day, your week, a meeting, task, year or practically any time you start something new.

Intention Setting—a Life Hack

Intention setting is simple, but done right (by keeping your intent top of mind across time), it can be an incredibly powerful life hack.

Setting your intention helps to focus your mind at both a conscious and unconscious level.

Intention setting contains energy, emotion, imagery, and meaning that you might not have previously discovered. It can teach you, about you. It helps counteract the clutter of the mind, and the unhelpful ‘should’s’ we often set ourselves.

By setting your intention, you tap into your intuition and harness the power of your unconscious mind (your wisdom-powerhouse) to look for opportunities.

The Science Behind Intentions

The power of setting intentions is not merely anecdotal; it has a scientific basis. Neuroscientific research has shown that when you set an intention, you activate specific neural pathways associated with that intention. This mental priming increases your awareness of relevant opportunities and choices, making it more likely for you to take action aligned with your goals.

Intentions engage the reticular activating system (RAS) in your brain. The RAS acts as a filter for incoming information, highlighting what you consider important. When you set an intention, your RAS begins to prioritise data that supports that intention, effectively boosting your focus and awareness.

How to Set Your Intention

Step 1: Trust your Intuition – always, always, always trust your intuition. Ok?

What is your intuition? Your intuition is the first thought that enters your mind once you have cleared the internal ‘judgement’. It is the little voice in your head (not the loud critic, but the quiet wisdom). Trust the impression, thought or hunch that comes to you.

Your intuition will speak to you. It might take time or practice. Listening with a clear mind and a trusting heart is sometimes the tricky part – you’ve got this. Trust yourself.

Step 2: Close your eyes. Take several deep breaths and connect with your body. Listen into your body.

Step 3: Ask yourself “What do I want for my self in the coming year?”

Choose one to three words for your intention for your coming year.

Let yourself feel into the question. Allow your truth to rise to the surface.

Once you have your intention, ask the second question.

Step 4: Ask yourself “To achieve (insert your intention word), what do I have to let go of?”. Ask and allow for a word, or message, to come through for you.

Step 5: Ask yourself “What am I going to do in the next 12 months to achieve (insert your intention word)?”. Ask and allow for a word, or message, to come through for you.

Tips for Intention Setting

1. Be Specific: Your intentions should be clear and specific. Instead of a vague intention like "I want to be successful," say, "I intend to excel in my career by achieving a promotion within the next year."

2. Use Positive Language: Phrase your intentions positively, focusing on what you want to achieve rather than what you want to avoid.

3. Set Realistic Goals: While intentions are powerful, they should be realistic and achievable. Set yourself up for success by setting attainable milestones.

4. Visualise Your Intentions: Create a mental image of yourself embodying your intentions. Visualisation can reinforce your commitment.

5. Write Them Down: Put your intentions in writing. This act of commitment can make your intentions feel more tangible and concrete.

6. Review Daily: Make it a habit to review your intentions daily, ideally in the morning or before important tasks. This reinforces your commitment and keeps your focus sharp. Remember, your mind is your responsibility to feed, clean and program your mind.

Get Your Free Intention Setting Meditation

If this is new to you, I’ve created a 6 minute guided Intention Setting audio meditation for you! All you need to do is just listen and allow.

Enjoy the process. If it helps, think of this like a playful little experiment!

Be sure to join me on Facebook, to get more inspiring tips for a greater you, and a greater world.

Are your emotions holding you back?

It takes courage to pay attention to our feelings

Feelings are incredibly powerful. They can work for us, and against us.

Think of it like; thoughts are the language of the mind, and emotions are the language of the body.

In our culture, we are often taught to suppress our feelings; to ‘toughen up’, and to ‘get on with it’.

The truth is that many of us are not taught how to connect with our emotions. Some of us are that taught it’s not ‘right’ to feel angry, hurt, disappointed or even happy. So, we can push our feelings down and to the side, and deny our inner truth.

With the unprecedented amount of alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, ill health and poor mental health, obviously something is not working for us.

How many times have you seen yourself or others use food, booze, distraction or any other coping strategy to ignore feelings? Pushing emotions down, so we don’t feel, might work in the short term—but these emotions continue to live in your body.

You’ve probably experienced trauma

Most of us experience some sort of trauma in our lives. Trauma is an emotional response to something such as a natural disaster or another emotionally disturbing or life-threatening event.

The Australian Psychological Society says trauma is a ‘very frightening or distressing events may result in a psychological wound or injury. This trauma can result in difficulty in coping or functioning normally’.

A pioneering researcher and expert on traumatic stress, Bessel van der Kolk, tells us how overwhelming experiences affect the brain, mind, and body awareness. Bessel van der Kolk shares how trauma can ‘get stuck’ in the body and how it can have a profound impact on the capacity for love and work.

Sure, sometimes we do need to push feelings to the side—to get on with it. For example, if you’re fighting a bush fire, or protecting yourself from violence, or coping from an accident, you may need to push emotions to the side—to do what needs to be done, at that crucial moment. But distress continues to live in the body.

Putting emotions to the side can be a coping strategy. And if you do anything year-on-year, like pushing down feelings, and you will get pretty good at it. But, just like running water filling a sink, river or glass —you can’t fill it forever, it will overflow. In some shape or form, it will spill over, potentially with some emotional or financial cost, and causing damage or more trauma.

Overflow can look like being constantly teary, or angry, any other emotion that you don’t want to feel. It can look like illness, depression, anxiety, and disconnection from others and the world around you.

Emotional healing is easier than you think

The good news is you can give your emotions a way to release, in a gentle, safe and controlled way. At Authentic State Coaching, we believe the best way to do this is to ‘heal thy self’ through self healing.

The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself. You can learn and practice listening to and honouring our emotions as they arise.

Your body talks to you. Emotions can safely come and go. Listening to our feelings can be a huge sense of relief. As the quote says, ‘the truth will set you free’. This release can be like unscrewing a pressure valve of trapped emotions from over the years.

Sometimes we might feel so disconnected, powerless or worthless we can forget that change is possible. A good place to start is to acknowledge your feelings.

I am an advocate for Self Directed Healing—a gentle, guided process that allows people to process unwanted emotions. We offer 90 minute on-to-one online sessions that guide people to release emotional pain and limiting beliefs. Learn more about Self Directed Healing here.

// HOW TO HONOR YOUR FEELINGS - FREE DOWNLOAD //

Quote: Jamie Kern Lima | Dog pic: Justin Jason

#healing #self healing #coaching #personalgrowth #authenticleadership

Releasing the past—to move forward

It is not unusual in life to experience cycles of thoughts and behaviours—that are unsatisfying, unsupportive, or even detrimental to our health and survival.

We can feel stuck, lost, deflated or frustrated in life, in our health, relationships, and in work and business.

This is a difficult place to be in, and disheartening, particularly if we have made efforts to change, without success.

We can all use a hand moving forward

Working with others gives us strength, support, tools, knowledge, guidance, and momentum.

Whether I am supporting people to move forward in life, business, or relationships—I often start with introducing people to an evidence-based technique that changes lives, called Self Directed Healing.

What is Self Directed Healing

Self Directed Healing is used in leadership training and as a therapeutic tool. It is a powerful, yet gentle complementary healing technique that impacts all levels simultaneously; the mind, body and emotions.

For many people, it works quickly. It is a process without medications or hands-on healing.

As it is a relatively new healing therapy, that combines various other healing modalities, you might not have heard of Self Directed Healing in the same way as counselling, coaching or hypnotherapy, But Self Directed Healing is radically changing lives—for the better.

Self Directed Healing give you the tools to release yourselves from past limitations, from damaging experiences, trauma. It enables people to move forward.

The process allows us to gently identify and release feelings and shift thoughts, at conscious and subconscious levels—it positively impacts the mind, body and emotions.

Self Directed Healing empowers you to reveal a greater version of yourself and opens the door to you to connecting to your most authentic state.

Self Directed Healing participants experience greater confidence, clearer thinking and decision-making, and often a sense of release and weight lighted from their body, shoulders, mind or heart space.

It also teaches people how to honour, rather than to suppress or repress their feelings—this can reduce or remove unhealthy coping strategies and other negative impacts of swallowing our feelings.

Moving Forward

Your next step depends on if you are looking for life or business support and transformation.

I am interested in learning more about your circumstances. If you’d like to schedule a call, you can learn more about what you could expect in our time together—and how you can move forward to a greater you, and a greater life.

To learn more, schedule a call here or email me at sasha@autheticstatecoaching.com

image credits: Joshua Sortino, Max Ostrozhinskiy, Yinchou Han

Looking at 'normal' with fresh eyes

Stories are a powerful way we reinforce ourselves and each other what is ‘normal’ and morals, ethics, rights, and wrongs.

Across the ages of time, mankind has reinterpreted and re-written stories and traditions. Many folk tales have been rewritten, and today sit in our bookshelves as fairy tales with the meanings quite different from originally intended. The same thing has happened with our holidays and traditions.

That’s fine. Unless we have lost something valuable in the process.

Personally, I don’t really relate to Halloween. Sure, it is fun to fancy dress, face paint, sugar rush, booze rush. But why do we do it? Why do it? Just because “it’s what we do”? Hmm…

Like a handful of others I know, I prefer to connect to what some say is the origin of Halloween, ‘Samhain’ (pronounced “SOW-in” or “SAH-win”). And in doing this, connecting to something that is more authentic for me.

Samhain can be described as an ancient Celtic tradition that was rewritten or reinterpreted by institutionalised religion.

Samhain can be said to be a time when ‘the veil between the human and spirit realms is lifted’.

Enter the dress-up; the ghouls, the ghosts and the gross! And candles in pumpkins—it is said that candles were once placed in windowsills to ward off ghosts. Samhain also points to ancient rituals connected to nature. Of fires and celebrations.

Rethinking what our traditions mean

In a world of diminishing meaning, of increased inauthenticity, and value of appearances over substance, I like to rethink what our holidays mean. And make them meaningful again.

So this Halloween, I have set time aside for reflection, connection, and not to forget… celebration.

With family, including young ones, we created our own little ceremony. We lit a candle, looked at photos and spoke of our ancestors. We thanked those who have loved us past and present for being in our life. Without them, there would be no us.

I’ve taken time out to be with nature today—to be grateful. And later will drink a splash of spirit in celebration of the beauty and cycles of nature.

In a world where society has pivoted so that many of our holidays, such as Easter, Christmas or Halloween fill the profit bank of business, rather that contentment bank of people—maybe it’s time to do a little more reinterpreting of the meanings of our holidays, at a personal level.

If traditions are not providing you with an authentic sense of comfort and belonging, maybe its time to re-examine the meaning for yourself? You can create your own traditions, with themes surrounding love, connection, gratitude, friendship or whatever brings you a sense of comfort and belonging. Inspiration is all around you.

Inspiration or creativity is sometimes about just following the thread—keep an intention in mind and follow the line to see where it leads you… and when you want to, stop. And reflect on where you have been, and where you want to go next. With a little creativity, you can write (or rewrite) the next tradition in your family.

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Image credit: White.RainForest