In part 1 of The Satya Approach, I spoke with you about how the reluctance to engage truth and/or reality is creating a barrier to the life that you desire for yourself. I wanted to give you a wake up call to start things off, because burying your head in the sand simply isn’t cutting it anymore. And, really, you just deserve better. Here in part 2 I want to offer a few practicals for increasing your ability to work within reality to achieve the things that you want.

Without further adieu, let’s jump into our top five truth-harnessing practices:

1. Find a like-minded accountability partner

Why is this first on the list? Well, this person is going to hold you to all the other steps I included below! Seriously, you need at least one person in your corner who is trying to head in a direction similar to you, or at least believes in you enough to rally you all the way to your destination. This is also important because we face periods of discouragement along the way when we commit to the path of change or start pursuing big, hairy, audacious goals (Thank you Jim Collins). Being able to talk things through with someone who gets it and will offer lots of validation can go a long way in helping you to bounce back faster.

2. Develop a daily journaling or meditation practice (you get a choice!)

Journaling? Isn’t that so 1990’s? Well, there’s a reason plenty of people still do and recommend this practice. You need a space where you can consistently self-reflect and examine what’s going on for you internally. In this way, journaling and/or a simple meditation practice can be valuable tools for helping you to learn more about yourself, what makes you tick and what lights you up from the inside. Don’t skip this step or you may find yourself disconnected from your own heart and struggling with lack of authenticity again, somewhere down the line.

3. Read a good book or two (I have some suggestions):

Maybe this is a fun one because you already have a couple books in mind that you’ve been meaning to get to. Or maybe you hate reading. That’s okay because you can find the audio version of pretty much anything these days. The point is to get some fresh information into that brain of yours so you can start re-evaluating some of your current patterns, specifically those that you already know aren’t working for you anymore. My following suggestions touch on a couple major themes where most of us would like to see some improvement.

Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a follow up to his first text Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. It’s a great read for considering how you use your time and identifying the activities or parts of your work that give you the most life.

Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover is a classic for a reason. If you know your financial house is, uh, crumbling, the best time to address that was probably several years ago, if we're being honest. The second best time is now! Thankfully, there are plenty of steps you can take to reverse direction financially, even if things are a bit of a mess.

Why Do I Do That? is a solid read for increasing your understanding of the mind's self-defeating defense mechanisms and how this may be showing up in your patterns of thinking and your interactions with others. Huh. Did it suddenly get hot in here? Look, there's no shame in taking a closer look at your less than heathy reactions. We all have them and I'm a firm believer that we develop them for good reason. But perhaps we can also find another way.

4. Apologize

Wait, are we still on the same list? Let me explain. Owning up when we have wronged someone is a powerful exercise in acknowledging uncomfortable truth. Your willingness to do this in small ways will help you follow through in the big things too, and could be a game changer in your relationships. You probably already know that with the right people humility begets humility, and truthful expression is a requirement for real growth. So be sure to practice this early and often with your safe people.

5. Ask for help

For many of you reading this, this practice may be the hardest one. Yes, you need to ask for help. No, you are not Superwoman or Superman. You are a human being with real needs and limitations and vulnerabilities. So you will have to lean on others from time to time and maybe even let them take care of you occasionally. This is not weakness; this is caring for yourself and acknowledging your worth and humanity. We weren't meant to go at this life alone, so for the love of all that is good and right, invite someone in.

There we have it- a top five list of my suggestions for truth-harnessing practices. Because these days are precious and we can't afford to sit around in denial anymore. If you're having a hard time accomplishing these things on your own, please don't hesitate to reach out to a competent and empathetic therapist or coach. The investment will be well worth it.