Did you grow up feeling as though you were different than others? How did that make you feel?
If you were like me, and many of my clients, it was awful. We felt as though there was something wrong with us because we weren’t like other people in our families or among our peers.
And for many of us, it wasn’t safe to be who we were, so we stifled ourselves and did our best to conform, so we would be loved and accepted.
And then, that uniqueness was lost. And life became like a weird masquerade party, where we showed up dressed as close as possible to what we thought the rest of the guests would wear. At least, that was how I played my part.
Others carved themselves out to be the most outrageously different they could be, the rebel, the non-conformist to the extreme. They found safety in making sure they caused the expected rejection, rather than experiencing the effect of being rejected.
Can you relate?
If you can, then I don’t have to tell you what a mess we make of our lives when we live with that special spark that makes us unique stifled and our outward expression guaranteed to not get us the love and acceptance we desire.
But times have changed and are changing faster and faster.
There’s a whole new paradigm being created by people just like you and me who refuse:
- to feel like there’s something wrong with us because we feel deeply
- to hide out any longer
- to play small
- to feel like a victim
- to not speak our truth
- to feel ashamed because we aren’t perfect
We’ve turned down the volume on the voices that tell us to shape up and be like others and we’ve turned up the volume of our hearts, our souls.
It’s time to stand out again and share our unique “beingness” with others.
It’s time for using all our courage to be our magnificent selves.
Someone, somewhere needs you, and only you. Whether your destiny is to work with a relatively small group, such as a family, or a community or you have a starring role on centre stage matters not. You do have a song to sing that belongs to only you.
Are you willing?
Please don’t sell out your soul purpose for comfort and the illusion of safety.
Warmest, Rosemary