What is Let Your Life Speak with Asha Sanaker?
“To truly belong, and to stand up for what you know is right, requires vulnerability and incredible courage. The original definition of courage being, “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart”. When we “encourage” others we ignite their courage with our own. Courage encourages courage, authenticity calls to authenticity, and integrity inspires integrity. We only get where we need to go together.”— Asha Sanaker (Writer, Speaker, Mother, Seeker)
Are you living an authentic life? This notion of authenticity— showing up in the world as the person you truly are— is an idea that has been all over popular culture for the last ten years or so. It’s an idea I believe in, a necessity of living joyfully that I wholeheartedly endorse. But it’s also not enough.
There is more reason to do the work to show up in the world authentically — whole, self-possessed, and with your inner and outer life consistently integrated — than simply personal fulfillment.
I believe the point of doing all the work, and it is work, make no mistake, is to be able to live, act, and speak with integrity in the world.
Integrity is the only thing that holds communities and societies together in a way that promotes trust, inclusion, justice, and joy.
Integrity might seem like an old, stodgy word. It calls up images of serious, dour people who think too much and never, ever have any fun. But what if that’s not what it is at all?
What if integrity is the only path to a vibrant, joyful future for all of us and the planet?
I believe with my whole heart that is true, and also that integrity is something of a lost art. We need to talk about how to actually live a life of integrity on a realistic, imperfect, human scale. We have to talk about trying and failing. We have to talk about self-compassion and mercy. That’s what we’re going to do here at Let Your Life Speak.
It has become clear in the last fifty years that, despite the promises of politicians, resources do not “trickle-down”. But, integrity trickles up. Our families, communities, and politics will never be any better than we, ourselves, are, so let’s start talking together about how to let our lives speak loud, speak true, speak our deepest held beliefs every day.
“A person of integrity, like a whole number, is a whole person, a person somehow undivided. The word conveys not so much a single-mindedness as a completeness; not the frenzy of a fanatic who wants to remake all the world in a single mold but the serenity of a person who is confident in the knowledge that he or she is living rightly.” -- Stephen L. Carter, Integrity
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To get full access to the newsletter, published every Friday for all subscribers and twice more every month for paid subscribers. If you don’t want to miss a thing, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’d love your greater presence in this space and it’s part of how I support my family, like all working people everywhere.
To enjoy personal essays about my journey to let my life speak. Trust that it will be equal parts inspiration, tears, and dark comedy because that’s how it seems to go.
To benefit from resources— books, videos, articles, podcasts— that I’m always collecting and passing along to help you in your integrity practice.
To read interviews with other folks steadily living into their integrity. What helps them keep showing up? What trips them up? These interviews help me feel a deep sense of community and solidarity as I move through my days.
To participate in conversations where you can talk to me and each other about what you’re learning and thinking. We are in this together and I am already grateful for all we will teach each other.
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