Exposing Yourself

When we’re in our teens, and then throughout our lives, we often attempt to portrait ourselves as someone we are not. Of course, we act in a manner in which we believe others will find appealing. Whether we dress our best to appear more financially abundant than we actually are, or maybe we cover ourselves in make-up to hide the “real” person within, we are hiding our true selves.

Ask yourself why you do these things. Do you judge yourself and your self-worth through these actions? Is it important to you to portrait a lifestyle outside of your means? Do you feel that you wouldn’t be well thought of if someone saw you without your “professional” appearance?

Throughout history people have adorned themselves to proclaim their status. Gold, silver and pearls adorned only the most wealthy and honored. As is today, those same people had great influence over others, and people would gather around them in the hopes of becoming charmed by the wealthy person’s “magic”.

We see this same trait around us every day. The youth, especially young girls, try to emulate the teen idols that are popular today. Tomorrow, the idol fades into the background and another idol takes her place. And the youth in our society flock to the next best thing…

At what age do young woman come to the understanding that they can be themselves, without adornment, without a false face, without portraying themselves as something other than who they really are? What do they feel is so wrong about themselves that they believe others would judge them harshly? What is so horrible about them that they feel they must be someone else?

Like trying to keep up a lie, being someone other than your true self is a constant battle. Who is judging me? Who will be there? Who should I fraternize with? Who should I stay away from? I need to be the best/smartest/most attractive/abundant person in the crowd. On and on your ego speaks. And, with all this in mind, you miss seeing others for who they really are because you’re too worried about keeping up your charade.

When do you allow yourself to relax and be yourself? When do you realize that acting other than who you are has created a monster? Like a rumor, it could be difficult to correct because your lie had grown to great proportions. You realize there needs to be a change, but how do you take that first step? Yes, exposing your true self is going to cause you to feel emotions, which you would rather not deal with. But, little by little, allow others to see the slow changes within your life. For instance, instead of wearing spike heals, change your shoes to something stylish yet comfortable. Replace your one Coach bag, which you’ve been using for five years and has seen it’s better days, with a cute chic bag that reflects your true personality. Cease overspending, rid yourself of superiority, acknowledge that someone else maybe correct, dance in the rain, act goofy with your children, and sing out loud! Act with joy and rid yourself of fear.

One step at a time, little forward moves such as these, will help you to relax into who you were meant to be all along. Little by little you’ll find yourself amongst the rubble as your wall of insecurity falls down around your ankles. You’ll appreciate who you are for the person who is inside your physical body, as God made you, instead of the person who you have adorned yourself to be.