Live your story with authority into the new year

Spirituality & Health magazine shares Thomas Moore’s January-February 2013 column "Are You the Author of Your Life’s Story?". Moore writes,

"The word author comes from the Latin for 'increasing' or 'growing.' An author creates something new. In the best of worlds we are each the author of our own lives. But it often feels as though someone in a position of authority is taking over the task and writing our story for us.

And yet each of us has the challenge and the opportunity to create a new way of being human. We grow ourselves. Along the way, we may listen closely to someone we respect and admire and give that person a key role in our creative process. We share our precious authority. We hope they will help us author our lives — but only as long as we ask them to."

After quoting William Blake who said "the Authors are in eternity," Moore continues:

"If we can do it, we can find deep joy in our capacity to create something, someone, new. But we may have to insist on our authority, because someone will always appear who wants that enjoyment for himself — a parent, a spouse, a business partner, a spiritual teacher. Remind this person of Blake’s insight: the authors are in eternity."

Five suggestions at the end of the column help readers to strengthen their own authority.