No person is one dimensional. There are endless facets, elements, experiences, attitudes and characteristics that combine to create each individual. No one person is exactly like another. So it doesn’t seem beyond reason that it can take a lifetime to only begin to know someone. No matter how long you live with them, love them, nurture them, work with them…you can never fully know anyone.
Depending upon where you are – work, home, with family or friends you have a face you put on. I don’t mean makeup, I mean a side of yourself you exhibit to the people with which you are interacting. Different situations may bring out a different side of you. Some will be positive, others may bring out your worst. All too often we miss the opportunity to share our true self because of fear, or self consciousness, or because we feel inadequate. So we wear a mask or only reveal our best side and as a result people never get to know the real person we are inside.
So how do we create opportunities for people to know us better? How do we show the many sides of ourself without revealing too much? How to we let down the walls or remove the mask we have created to protect ourselves? It takes courage and consistency. What I mean by that is not everyone will like everything about you. They may want you to behave or be one way, when in reality you are not what they want…so we hide our true self to avoid rejection. Instead of worrying about what other people think, be true to yourself. The person whose opinion matters most is yours. By being yourself consistently you will find out quickly who your real friends are, who are your real supporters at work, the family members who truly love and cherish YOU not who they want you to be.
The real you, the one you want to be all text time, is better than any version you present behind a mask. TH real oyu is worth discovering, worth sharing, worthy of love and support. Mask a only keep us bound by a life fear. Shatter the fear, drop the mask and show the real you.
Ann Art Gallery Blog 