When you are you, no one can take that away from you.
We all know that feeling, the horrible feeling in our gut that goes something like this: I am not being me. These five words will haunt any life ... until you finally start taking the risk of just being you, no matter what that looks like. Once again, I must say this: part of my version of being me is being naked in nature, but that does not have to be your "thing." At all. Everyone has different ways of hiding their true selves.
- Maybe you are afraid to sing. Sing, even if you are afraid of being heard.
- Maybe you want to act. Act, even if you are afraid of people seeing you emote.
- Maybe you have always wanted to write. Write, even if you're afraid people will know your inner thoughts.
We all know that feeling, the horrible feeling in our gut that goes something like this: I am not being me.
I know: it's terrifying. There is something so safe about not being seen. But all the great rewards in life will require you to be seen in some way, so this is the idea we must make peace with: we need to be seen.
To start, just take small steps. No one is going to push you off the diving board. Just one toe in the water will do. Start to get uncomfortable. Eventually, you will be very comfortable being you, and then - when you do - you won't believe all the time you weren't.
OK, good enough for now,
~ Quest Barely, all!
_________________________________________________
Kemson Cooper is the creator of QuestBarely.com, a site about using the body as a path to explore the Self. He is also the author / artist of "Love Yourself ~ A Body of Work" (perhaps the world's first naked self-empowerment book)