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I had a chance to interview Ora Nadrich, a life coach and founder of the Institute for Transformational Thinking, about her new book, Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity. In it, she compellingly invites readers to discover our most true, authentic selves, and to show up in all the moments of our lives as present and as real as we can be.
Why is your message of living authentically especially necessary for the times we’re living in?
I feel that living authentically is especially necessary for the times we’re living in because of how something like “fake news” is dominating the media, and we must be even more certain of what is real (authentic) and what is not.
Also, we’re being bombarded through advertising and mass-media of what success or normalcy is supposed to be, or look like, and much of it is unhealthy and stress provoking. It’s important to set our own standards of what feels real, authentic and healthy for us.
What has made you passionate about the power of Mindfulness?
I feel passionate about the power of Mindfulness because I believe it holds the key for not only heightening our awareness, but also raising consciousness — both individually, and collectively. If we aren’t present and aware, we stand a greater chance of remaining unconscious, which proposes a serious threat to our humanity. History has shown us, as it did in World War II, that when people are unconscious, or unaware of dysfunction and looming darkness, they can easily be taken over by powers greater than them and catastrophic consequences can occur.
How can we train ourselves to become more fully present?
The best way to train ourselves to become more fully present is to practice the skill of Mindfulness, which is an inherent quality each of us has, but don’t necessarily use. One must make a concerted effort to practice “present moment awareness.” Some of the ways we can strengthen that skill is getting off our devices and doing contemplative practices like mediating, yoga or sitting quietly, even if it’s for 10 minutes a day.
Take time to implement Mindfulness in all that you do, which can be eating slowly and really tasting your food without rushing, or taking a leisurely walk paying close attention to the sounds of nature around you. By training your mind to be more present, you will find yourself much more appreciative of the moments of your life, and less inclined to rush through them.
What can we do to get away from our judgmental inner voice?
The best way to minimize the judgmental inner voice in our mind is to be aware of when it comes up, and try to be an observer of it, rather than a reactor. By being an observer of the activity in our mind, we are not only less likely to be reactive, but it helps us have a mindful awareness of our judgments and begin to change them.
I’ve created a technique in my book, Says Who? How One Simple Question Can Change the Way You Think Forever, called Release and Replace, which means that when a negative, fear-based or judgmental thought comes up in our mind, we can replace it with its positive counterpart. By doing this consistently, the judgmental inner voice diminishes.
How does being one’s authentic self awaken awareness in others?
When we’re our most authentic selves, people sense something about us that is very attractive, which realness is. We can admire someone’s realness and authenticity, and when we see them being confident and unafraid to be themselves, it can inspire us to do the same.
Learn more at the author’s website.
