It’s not easy to stop doing the things that you don’t really want to do. These can include obligations you really have to pump yourself up for, the invitations you don’t really want to accept and the gifts you give that don’t come from the heart. You might want to stop, but have a hard time doing so because you think, “It’s the right thing to do,” or “I don’t want to be rude.”

While I know there are responsibilities in life we need to show up for, what drags us down are the things we do even though our heart is telling us otherwise. We betray ourselves when we ignore this truth within us. When we do things to please others or keep up an image that is inauthentic, or even when we don’t speak up to avoid a confrontation, we drain our precious life force.

The key is to remember that you only have one life to live. The days go fast but the years are speeding by. Before you know it, another decade will have passed. Do you want to get to the end of your life only doing things for the sake of appearances? Or do you want to get to the end of your life and say, “Yes! How great that I really lived a life filled with true meaning and authentic purpose.”

Daily mission

Make a commitment to ask yourself what your heart says before every future commitment of your time or energy.

Alice Inoue is the founder of Happiness U. Visit yourhappinessu.com.