I used to live in a mindset of being so concerned about what other people would think of how I looked, behaved, thought and talked. So often I felt like a chameleon as I changed to suit the person’s idea of who I was supposed to be. I didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable.
I am still a work in progress on this. I had incorporated this chameleon attitude so much in my being that it has taken years to remove all the layers of belief and energy that I had put upon myself. I now connect into who I am and strive to live from a place of authenticity.
Why did I do this? Because I didn’t want others to think bad of me. It never occurred to me that I was the ONLY one that had to be concerned about what I thought about myself. What other people think about me is their limitations on themselves.
When I was graduating from high school I wanted to pursue a career in art/interior design, etc., but the message from my parents was that no one can make a living doing that. So, I didn’t pursue it. It was their limitation thinking that I couldn’t make a living doing what my heart and soul desired. So, instead, I became an administrative assistant. I simply accepted their thinking, especially because I was only 18 and what did I know?
Prior to having my son at the age of 23, I NEVER went out of the house without my make-up and hair perfect. I was too mortified to have anyone see me without make-up. Funny thing is, the day of my son’s birth, I didn’t see a mirror until the early evening and there had been at least a dozen people to see me at the hospital. Not ONE of them commented about my lack of make-up or hair all messy. Funny how that memory sticks out to me yet.
How often do we allow ourselves to be put in a box that is designated by another person or community and then expected to live within the box’s limitations. The box can be a certain way to act, look, talk or think. It is their uncomfortableness with our behavior that makes them want us to live a certain way.
What are you holding back in your living because “what would people think” mentality?
Here’s what I’ve figured out, when I am in bed in the night, crying, having anxiety, depressed because I am not doing something that someone else wants me to do, that person or community is not losing any sleep on what they are expecting of me. It is only me that pays the price. So, I finally decided to live my own life and do what I desire to do. Why put any weight of their opinion that keeps you from living your full potential?
I was having a conversation with a woman the other day and she was talking about how worried she was about a loved one. I asked her why she would be sending worry energy to this person? It just didn’t make sense. Why not send thoughts of positivity, see them getting healthy or living their full potential?
What is something that you are holding back doing in your life because you are worried about what others would think? How does that feel to not live your authentic self? Are you holding back getting those funky eye glasses, wearing a color that is out or the norm, or even staying in a relationship that is literally draining you from your energy power?
Why not, promise to yourself, to take at least one step forward in 2019 to live your authentic self and do what you desire to do. Your soul will rejoice and you may just be surprised that people embrace the “new” you and encourage you to be YOU!
