Be Yourself

Last updated on: June 3, 2015 at 3:00 am by Terry Drew Karanen

Be Yourself 2015-05-31T16:22:29-06:00 Terry Drew Karanen

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Have you been told to just “be yourself?” What does that even mean? And, does the person know what they’re in for?

We teach our children to express themselves, yet our public school system is set up all too often in a one-size-fits-all environment. I remember my mother looking for pantyhose one time and seeing “one-size-fits-all” on the display. She muttered, “Fits all of WHAT?!?”

One size rarely fits all and that goes double for our personalities. Truth be told we are different to different people. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t have a couple of different faces, haven’t you?

We aren’t the same at home as we are at work, at a party or at church. Basically we are the same in that we may be a caring person, a selfish person, etc., but how we display that to others through our facial expressions, body language and tone of voice can vary dramatically.

More than once someone in my family has remarked, You’re using your “flight attendant voice” again! It happens. I’m guilty. I admit it. It’s effective with a disruptive passenger at 39,000 feet in a pressured tin can hurdling through the atmosphere at 500 miles per hour. At home during dinner? No so much.

Understanding that we can live our lives with certain basic, fundamental principles and yet display those qualities in a variety of ways is eye-opening and healthy. Steven Pressfield, in his book, “The War of Art,” gives us an amazing visual of this. He says, “The professional identifies with her consciousness and her will, not with the matter that her consciousness and will manipulate to serve her art. Madonna doesn’t walk around her house in cone bras. She does not identify with ‘Madonna.’ Madonna employs ‘Madonna.’”

Do you get the gist of that AND just how freeing it can be for our personal lives? It’s an amazing exercise in recognizing that “what” we are in any given situation doesn’t have to be “who” we are in our greater purpose in life.

What would happen if today – right now, perhaps – you would “be yourself?” Would people flee? Would you lose your job or relationship? Probably not.

I’m not discounting that you may already be living an authentic life, but here are the real questions: If you can’t be who you are with the person you’re with then why are you with them? If you can’t be authentic in your career then why have you chosen to play so small?

These are big questions with awesome answers. My friend, Edwene, asked them of me over two years ago. Together, we found the answers, I’ve never looked back and my life has changed dramatically for the better.

Be yourself. Be authentic. We all need you to do that because you’re the only one who can!

Now … anyone know where I can get a gold lamé, cone bra bustier for my 44 inches chest? I have some housework to do and ……..

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry

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