There are too many times to count that Brennan’s natural way of being reminds me of some grand lessons of life and the brilliance of being 100% in the moment of who you are. For your enjoyment, I’ve picked my top 9.7.

9.7 – Get excited about life.
Dive into experiences with energy and enthusiasm, as it is often this intention that creates our level of enjoyment and our results.

9 – Explore & Learn.
Take time to stare intensely at how a door opens and closes and what makes it work. Become intimately fascinated with new ideas, concepts, experiences and completely immerse yourself in the learning.

8 – Image isn’t everything.
Who cares if you have oatmeal or ketchup or sweet potato all over your face? Did it taste good? Absolutely!

7 – Make sure you get enough rest.
Sometimes there is nothing better than a power nap. Making time to recharge your batteries can pay huge dividends.

6 – Show your appreciation for the things you love.
Clap, smile, high five, laugh, be in JOY, giggle, squawk, scream…express yourself fully in appreciation for the people and experiences that support your growth and happiness.

5 – Get over it.
Hurt your foot? Who cares! It seemingly stops hurting if someone hands you your favorite toy. Be in your experiences, connect with them, learn from them and move on. Getting stuck in the drama of things in the past robs our ability
to connect with the present moment.

4 – Never take the relationship with your parents for granted.
My son is intimately connected to where I am, what I am doing and what mood I am in. I encourage you to look at how a toddler views his relationship with his parents, how important he feels they are to him and how much he values them…then answer those same three questions for yourself. Any difference?

3 – Believe in your ability to do things you have never done.
Take chances, risk, be bold, be courageous and strive forward with energy and optimism without giving a rat’s ass about what anyone else may think.

2 – If you aren’t getting what you want, stand up for yourself.
When a 4 year old isn’t happy, he’ll let you know. Now I am certainly not condoning how they go about conveying their message every time, but I applaud their commitment to their goals.

1 – Be FearLESS.
Walk around the edge of pools when you don’t know how to swim, play with light sockets, go down stairs at full speed, eat bugs, drink cold smoothies quickly and don’t worry about the brain freeze, walk up to stray dogs and jump off beds that are higher than you are tall. Seriously though, how many times do we let the fear of something stop us in our tracks, petrified by the outcome we make up in our own mind? Acknowledge your fears and go for it anyway!

Thank you, Brennan, may I repay you with the gift of teaching you as many things as you have taught me over your lifetime.

You are just bending the truth of who you are a little…it doesn’t matter, no one will know.

It really doesn’t fit with your values…but you should let it go, it doesn’t matter. No one will know.

But you know. You know clearly. Each and every time.

Being authentic is relatively simple in concept, but very rarely practiced consistently in today’s world. In many ways, I consider myself to be authentic, but I have come to understand that being authentic most of the time just doesn’t work. When is it okay to be inauthentic?

In other words, when is it okay to NOT be true to who you are?

I know, for me, fear, judgment, trust & acceptance all play a role and influenced many of my decisions over the years. Where do you let fear & judgment influence who you are being in your personal relationships? What about in your business relationships?

What prices are you paying for those choices? In other words, what is being inauthentic costing you in life? What are you missing out on?

In speaking with many others, being completely authentic is a bit like the Holy Grail; it’s often sought but very rarely found. Think about the number of COMPLETELY AUTHENTIC relationships you have in your life where you are free to talk about anything without concern of judgment or criticism.

I know I can count mine on one hand.

What exactly are we all so afraid of? In the transformational work I have done over the last 15 years with both youth and adults, it’s clear that we are all living out the same dramas – pretending to be things we are not, stuffing real emotions, biting our tongue, wearing masks, trying to impress, fighting for belonging and acceptance…

I don’t get it. I mean, I get why we do it all. I just don’t get why we do it all.

I have had the privilege of practicing being authentic in a few relationships over the last few months and this is what I have noticed. At first it scared the crap out of me. It was nausiatingly difficult. (I made that word up if you were wondering).

But then I noticed some other things too that for me, were really profound.

Authenticity alone doesn’t provide the juicy amazing feeling that I expected. It’s good; it’s self-gratifying, but still not complete.

Authenticity combined with unconditionality in a relationship is magical.

Apply this into your personal relationships and you’ll win every time.

Apply this into your business relationships and you’ll make a fortune…and love every step of the way.

To me, this is the “Galt’s Gulch” of personal relationships and everyone should have some. I think we cut ourselves off so much from the full experience of what it means to be human and this kind of relationship is an experience that everyone gets to have.

If you don’t have any…start now. Waiting isn’t worth it.

I am grateful for all of the times in my life that I chose to be inauthentic and for all of the people I have encountered who were inauthentic in their dealings with me.

It is because of those experiences that I am abundantly clear that I am no longer willing to pay the price of inauthenticity. It’s a nasty debt that accumulates over time.

I choose to be debt free.