I think most of us are afraid of being ourselves. Whether it is moments throughout our day, when we start or share an idea or even at work, part of us feels like we shouldn't share everything that is in our mind and in our hearts.
There is something fair about this feeling - maybe we want to protect someone from getting hurt, or avoid a confrontational situation. Sometimes we just want to protect ourselves from feeling judged, or misread and then we'd have to deal with it.
What if it didn't have to be this way? What if all our ideas of how we could be judged are false assumptions or limiting beliefs?
I have been afraid to be me for years, and honestly I wasn't even aware of it. I just thought it was how everyone operates - Stay hidden or quiet if most people you know won't agree with you, and do what it takes to fit in. The message I got growing up and even in university was that I needed to fit in. But really that's just how I felt because deep down I always felt different from everybody else. I didn't actually want to go to those university parties, networking events, or after-work drinks. I felt like I 'had to' in order to make friends otherwise I'd be left out.
Yep, I was afraid of being left out.
That's where being this traveller and someone who hopped countries really worked for me. In each hostel or guest house, no one actually knew who I was. Better yet, we were all there for the first time! How could I be judged for being different, or feel left out? This was home.
Years later (now) I still feel afraid to be me sometimes, just on a different level. I think that's normal.
Today as I went for a walk around the river listening to an audio book, I realised something else. There's a certain person in my life that I've kept returning to and one of the reasons is that they are the complete opposite of being afraid to be themselves. They hold no fear in sharing what's on their mind and in their hearts - I guess a kind of 'no f*cks' attitude I never had in me.
I like to think people are in your life for a reason. Perhaps they are the ones who keep us connected to what we are truly afraid of, because they remind us that what we have are limiting beliefs.
I don't have to be afraid or fit in, and as long as this person is in my life, I have the courage to share what is in my heart and in my mind.
I wonder who is the mirror for your fears today? Have a deeper think about what they represent for you in your life. We have the opportunity every day to re-invent ourselves, we just have to be willing to look!
Love,
Jules
