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Joy will never be yours until you understand this ... AND act on it.
By Rick Clemons — Written on May 18, 2015
On the wall of my office hangs a tapestry with the following words from Jack Kornfield:
In the end what matters most is:
How well did you live?
How well did you love?
How well did you learn to let go?
If I were to add to that list, I would ask this ONE additional question — How well did you let your true self shine for all to see?
If you say, "fully" ... you're lying. (And you can go sit in the corner!)
Yes, perhaps some of you shine brightly (full of "happiness"), but it's simply because you "don’t care" about those trying to pollute your brilliance. If so, move onto the next article that strikes your fancy because your highly evolved self isn’t going to get anything out of this that you haven’t already heard. But for the rest of us humans, the truth is:
- Rejection sucks! (But acceptance rocks.)
- Often, people won’t get you, and that hurts.
- It’s difficult being unique, so much harder than fitting in.
- People think you’re weird — and who likes being weird?
- Stepping out and shining might look cocky instead of confident.
If you can relate, perk those ears up because today’s challenge is to dive in — dive deep into that little sliver of yourself that’s completely filled with hidden treasures of uniqueness, which will be the game changers of your life.
How many times a day do you hear someone say, or find yourself saying, "I'm just getting by." Or, even better yet, count how many times you hear the word "someday."
We're either getting by, or someday-ing, in hopes that we'll suddenly have something of value to contribute to the world that will then lead us (easily, safely, and without discomfort or inconveninece of any kind) to peace, happiness, and stress-free living.
Hate to say it, but if you keep looking ahead that way, you'll soon find yourself looking back saying, "Oh no, it's too late. Why didn't I…?" (You can fill in those little dot, dot, dots with whatever get's you all riled up and regretful.)
But, there is a cure for getting-by and someday-ing —being uniquely you without regret!
I know, that's a long phrase to swallow. Would you like me to give you the pharmaceutical assigned name for it? Here it is — "retunihoutyouquelywigreetts." Or, would you prefer the layman's brand name? I thought so. It's called "Just Be You!"
*Gasps* How dare I suggest something so honest, vulnerable, and challenging. Yes, how dare I!
Because if you don't venture toward truly being you, you’ll never discover your full potential and self-worth. I'm saying it's time to rise up against the Comfy Couch Dwellers of Sameness and showcase your own unique gift to the world.
How do you attempt something that scary? How do you find happiness without the approval of others? By joining the rest of us (and there are more of us than you think, my friend) who are daring to be real and truly ourselves by following these five steps ...
- Stand tall, step out of your closets of numbness and come alive.
- Break out of the pattern of "Yes Ma'am, Yes Sir, Yes Ma'am , Yes Sir," and instead ask "Why?"
- Stop hiding the toys of your brilliance for fear that some bully will take them from you.
- Begin sharing your secrets and special talents that, up until now, were only share with our besties.
- Be the change you want to see in this world and share your hidden talents without regard for what others may think.
Honestly, daring to celebrate your truest self is a journey in itself.
It’s an act of love that only you can give yourself when you share your talents, showcase your gems of uniqueness, and stand resolutely in the truth of THIS IS ME.
It’s time to stop keeping the true you hidden away behind a false facade of what people think you are. Instead, log in using the user name and password that only you know, to unlock the "About page" that has never before been seen by the human eye.
Move the fear of judgment, rejection, and an unfavorable ruling into the trash on the hard drive of your life and come alive being yourself — the you that existed before you reformatted what you were worth into a sound bite of others expectations.
Ready to reformat the hard drive of your life? If you realize it's time for you to thrive instead of just survive, let's chat uncover how you can fully engage your gifts and self-worth to be who you're intended to be, now, not someday!
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