“What the hell; you are what you are, and self honesty occupies a definite and vital part in the ever-growing process to become a real human being and not a plastic one.” ~Bruce Lee
Who knew that Bruce Lee was such a wise yogi? I didn’t! I’ve long adored the love poems of bhakti poets that illumine the great yogic understanding that we are all expressions of Consciousness — God dwelling in us, as us. It makes me appreciate that “what the hell” wisdom from Bruce Lee even more. And since, we are all just elaborately unique expressions of God, it follows that we are well served by embracing and expressing the unique beauty that is us.
Easier said than done for most people.
Nonetheless, I love the invitation Mr. Lee is extending. We are all just who we are. There’s really no way around that. Getting grounded in deep self-acceptance, experiencing yourself in any given moment without the inhibition of self criticism, self evaluation, or self judgment, you can experience the beauty of who you are, the essence of Consciousness that is expressing itself through you as you. It becomes easier to experience yourself as a REAL human being and not a plastic one. There’s a kind of ease of being that carries with it a sweet delight.
There’s this great feeling that accompanies that ease of being, when you are just being who you are completely. Yet, stuff gets in the way. You walk out the door and encounter all manner of challenges, particularly in your relationships. I mean, it’s one thing to accept yourself in the privacy of your own life ~ NOT interacting with others. It’s a whole different matter when you try to take that same humanity into relationship and bump up against someone’s grumpy mood or your own unmet expectations and you find yourself being the antithesis of a peaceful yogi. Not cool.
This month, in the Integration Club, we are using Deep PEAT 4 to dismantle some of the typical charges that get in the way of our being REAL human beings in the context of relationships. And one of the things we are looking at is what gets in the way of you being YOU? For many of us, it’s things like FEAR — Fear of being judged, fear of being misunderstood, fear of speaking up. You can surely fill in the blanks here with your own fears.
With the right tools, these fears just fall away. Literally F A L L A W A Y. What you’re left with is this brilliant awareness, “What the hell, I am what I am.” As an introvert, I can tell you that releasing the fears that kept me bound to my social awkwardness has been liberating. I can still be socially awkward from time to time, but I don’t have the tension I used to feel. I’m closer to leaning into that old Irish saying ~ Dance like no one’s watching. Some of you might know that dancing was the ‘alt-career’ I walked away from and chose social work. I still aim to dance like no one’s watching, for to me, WE ARE ALL DANCERS!
What supports you in being your MOST authentic YOU in relationships? Even more valuable, what gets in the way? When you know the answers to those questions AND you know Deep PEAT 4 you are well on your way to coming into a more stable alignment with self honesty.
Melanie McGhee, L.C.S.W. is an award-winning author, relationship expert, psychotherapist and spiritual coach. She is also the founder of Abhimukti Yoga Coaches - providing coaches training to yoga teachers.