Mike Bayer - One Decision: The First Step to a Better Life

Who are you? Thats the greatest challenge, but also the greatest gift.

The decision to be authentic is the most important decision in our lives, but its not one we make only once; to stay authentic, we have to do it over and over again. We must revisit our connection with our authenticity every day; otherwise we risk losing our grip on life. And sometimes, we must return to a piece of our past in order to sync back up with who we are, especially when that past is informing our current feelings.

Vulnerability is a key ingredient in the recipe for authenticity, and its never easy. It doesnt come naturally to anyone because of the risk of judgment. What will others think? What will others say? Are you worried about others accepting you for you you are, or do you feel you need to fake it to win approval? Those questions are completely meaningless in the big scheme of life. Ah, but theyre tricky. They sneak in the back door and start muttering quietly. We try to ignore them, but what we have to do is confront them. We have to say, I dont care! I dont care what people think! But still... its hard. I get it.

In the first chapter of this book, Im going to ask you to write down the three most authentic decisions youve made in your life. I want to share with you my three as well:

COMING OUT

GETTING SOBER

STARTING MY BUSINESS

I believe that One Decision can change the trajectory of your life.

And in this book, Im going to guide you through the process of ensuring that your decisions are coming from your true self so that the trajectory is also yours. I want to provide a road map for you so that you dont have to get lost along the way. Getting lost might mean having a career thats inauthentic, or being in an inauthentic relationship, and it might mean looking around and believing everybody else has it figured out so there must be something wrong with you. So you turn to drugs or alcohol, or watching TV nonstop, or food or pornography or whatever. Its all to deal with the pain of living an incongruent, inauthentic life.

What I know for sure is that we must lay down the shoulds. We must accept ourselves and not worry about whether others do, or what the outcome might look like. And we must be who we are authentically. I hope that in sharing my decisions with you, I can help you see that you dont need to hold yourself to any kind of should standard in your own life.

My goal for you as you read this book is to take that stepto live authentically, to be yourself, in every aspect of your life.

I believe if you read this book and make One Decision to live your life as yourself, then its been a success. Anytime you find yourself up against a new challenge, deciding on a new direction, or desiring a reinvention of your entire life, or just some part of it, you can pick up this book to reconnect with your authenticity, and thus begin to see the opportunities all around you. You can use this book as a tool to snap you out of a mentality that is standing in the way of your progress, or to inspire you to take a risk, to be bold, and to follow your gut. It is meant to be a wake-up call for your spirit, and to give you a blueprint for making decisions about which you can feel good and at peace. And its also designed to help you discover the freedom to let go, to stop second-guessing yourself, and to rest assured that no matter what you decide, you can have the freedom to let go of the outcome.