A Conscious Conversation about Dropping Our Masks

Are you hiding?  Is your “game face” the real you?  You know what I mean.  Do you always act like everything is wonderful when you know deep down inside you are hiding what is really going on?  Where did you get that habit?  Who taught you that the real you wasn’t good enough to express itself?  Where did you get the habit of lying to yourself and others?

I know that I got all that in childhood.  I wasn’t allowed to tell my truth.  I couldn’t say out loud to my mom or dad that I was afraid of them, or that they had hurt my feelings.  I had to stuff all that.  I wasn’t invited to tell them that I was sad or lonely so I had to put on my “game face” even as a little child.  What that taught me was that I had to pretend to be someone I wasn’t to be acceptable. 

Sometimes I could tell them that Sarah had done something or maybe even a teacher or another adult had treated me unfairly.  I remember my mother would then get all up in arms and angry and rush to my defense.  Yes, she meant well, and sure she loved me, but what she taught me unknowingly was that blaming others was okay and that being “against” others was good.  She also taught me that I could be a victim of others. 

Thank God for time.  Over time I have learned a lot about my childhood lessons.  I have learned that I am okay just the way I am no matter what.  I have learned that it is not only okay, but normal to be afraid, sad and uncertain.  I have learned that I am not alone in that and that when I admit to myself and others the truth of where I am, I am taking the first step to transcending that state of being.  Also I have learned that admitting where I am helps others to realize that they too can admit where they are.  Most important, I have learned that I am not a victim of anyone but my own consciousness and therefore I have it within my power to change my life circumstances.

Now telling our truth, taking off our masks doesn’t mean that we live in a perpetual pity party.  Not at all.  Life is joyous and has many wonderful times that we will speak to regularly.  We are bright and fun-loving and generous and spiritually connected a lot of the time.  It is important that we promote the good that is our nature.  Still it is no less important that we love and embrace our shadow side.  It is a part of who we are too and when we ignore that side of us, it will act out in order to get attention.  If we don’t acknowledge that we are offended or sad or lonely, we will only get more offenses, reasons to be sad and reasons to feel lonely.

How come?  Cause we live in two worlds here.  We live in the world of Humanity and the world of the Divine simultaneously.  The world of humanity (often expressed as our ego) says that it is best to hide in order to stay safe.  It says that it is easier if we don’t confront our fears but stay in our comfort zones playing small so we won’t get hurt.  The world of the Divine on the other hand is constantly pushing us to do just the opposite.  It wants us to admit that we are afraid of the next step on our journey and take it anyway!  It encourages us to announce that we are lonely and uncomfortable meeting new people and join that new social club anyway.  It will push us to confess that we have trouble managing money and enroll in that financial management class anyway.  And of course it will jump up and down to have us acknowledge that we don’t feel good enough and go out and share our gifts anyway.

The world of the Divine knows that there is a higher calling for our lives.  It is all about the business of us stepping into it whatever that is and it knows that we will only get there if we acknowledge our fears and weaknesses and step through them.  The other thing about the world of the Divine is that it is all-powerful and will keep at its work.  It will push us and push us and push us until we surrender and move out of our comfort zone or succumb to the toxicity of stuffing our stuff.

Don’t wait for either.  Take charge now of telling your truth to yourself and others.  Ask for support in moving past your fears.  Offer support to others who ask you for support in moving past theirs.  You don’t want to get into judgment about where other people are though.  Stay in your own lane and do you, but if someone asks for help, please be compassionate and let them know you understand and give them your sympathetic ear.

How can we ever be at peace if we cannot tell the truth of who we are?  Admit your fear; acknowledge your pain to yourself and to someone that you trust.  If you think you may still be angry and resentful of others, either consciously or unconsciously, learn about Radical Forgiveness so you can effectively shift those energies out allowing room for positive creative energy to flow in.

Let’s all work towards creating a society of truth-telling, whole-self accepting, moving forward, light-givers.  Take off the mask and allow the beautiful you to come into the light.  As you do you will automatically be demonstrating to others how to do the same.