Be Who You Are
Posted on 14. Dec, 2007 by Susan in Inspiration
On the most recent episode of October Road, "Physical Phil" pretends to be an architect while his parents are visiting. This is his holiday tradition. Every Christmas, he spreads out various design plans, and brags about the latest multi million dollar project that he is busy designing. All of this his attempt to gain acceptance from his family.
When I went through my training and certification to become a coach, I was like a kid at Christmas. Seriously, it was the first time that I really understood how important it is to NOT WATER DOWN WHO YOU ARE FOR OTHER PEOPLE. This has got to be the most freeing piece of advice ever given to me (by Martha Beck and Brooke Castillo.) Living from your essential self, and not your social self, is about living from the inside out. Am I opinionated, over the top enthusiastic, someone who overdresses and cries too easily? Absolutely! But, you know, that’s who I am. Does this bother some people? I’m not sure, probably, but I’m really certain that I don’t care.
Pretending to be Buddhist, conservative, interested in hip hop, or concerned about recycling is not only exhausting, it doesn’t serve anyone to hide who you really are. I have a friend who is a talented chameleon. She’s able to breeze through mixers, networking luncheons, fund-raisers, or any social gathering with charm and charisma. The only problem, is that as she sails through, just skimming the surface with big smiles and phony laughs, no one truly knows who she is.
I hate to be the annoying bell ringer (not really, I love it) but there are only 11 days until Christmas. Will you show up as yourself to holiday functions and family gatherings, or someone that you think will be more accepted? What’s interesting to me is that when clients begin to show up as themselves, finally, they draw people to them like magnets. There’s something so irresistible about a person who knows who they are, and wants to authentically share that with others. If you haven’t already, introduce yourself to your friends and family.
"Why do so many…settle for so little? I don’t understand why they’re not greedy for what’s inside them." Jack Gilbert
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