Who Are You, Really?

Do you know how great you are?  Are you aware of the gifts you possess, of the difference you can make in the lives of others?  Do you embrace Who You Really Are – your strength, your love, your grace, your beauty and your brilliance?  Are you connected with that part of yourself, or are you hiding?

 

Many of us have been trained to hide the greatest aspects of ourselves so that we do not pose a threat to others. We learn this when we are young – by middle school, usually.  We learn quickly that it does not benefit us socially to be too smart, too athletic, too pretty, or too good at anything.  We learn that if we are successful, others will become threatened and will not want to be our friends.  We learn that if we shine, we become a target for criticism and gossip.  We learn the pain of seeing others wish us ill and taking joy in our failures.  We learn that being truly ourselves results in pain and isolation.  We start to believe that in order to be loved and accepted, we have to “fit in”. 

 

So we hide.  We make ourselves small. We train ourselves to be mediocre.  We become a diluted version of ourselves.  We let go of dreams.  We settle.  We blend in and do what is expected.  We try to please others.  We may even find ourselves joining in behavior that goes against our loving nature; hurting others as we ourselves have been hurt.  But this is not who we are; it is who we are pretending to be so that others do not feel threatened by us.  It is who we think we have to be in order to be accepted and loved.

 

However, there is a price to pay for choosing to be a lesser version of ourselves. If may not be obvious and we may not notice it right away.  But the damage will be done.  Generally, it presents itself as a feeling of heaviness that we mistake for being tired.  We may feel weakened, lost and anxious.  We lose our joy and our passion, become complacent and lack motivation.  In short, we become disconnected from Who We Really Are. 

 

This is not the answer!  You were not put on the earth to be a shadow of yourself!  You were put here to be fully, completely, brilliantly, outrageously, beautifully, passionately YOU!  And while there will be people who feel threatened and want to see you fail, there are many, many more who will be inspired, encouraged and liberated by your expression.  Do not allow the fear of others to diminish you and prevent you from living the life you are meant to live.

 

Find and join a community of people who love and support Who You Really Are.  Love them and support them as they grow into Who They Really Are.  When we are bold and brave and fully express ourselves in the world, we pave the way for others to do the same.  Support one another, celebrate your gifts and use them to make a positive difference in the world around you.  What a beautiful world it will be when we can all find the courage to be Who We Really Are!