Recently, I was getting ready to hang out with a friend and was taking a moment to pick out my wardrobe. As I decided on what I would wear, thoughts from my friend entered my mind. I recalled a few months ago she had said to me in a serious but caring tone to stop layering my outfits. She basically told me to stop hiding behind my clothing. I thought about what she said, and true enough, I was again picking out an outfit that I was going to layer with a jacket or another blouse, covering myself up. I could still hear her saying stop covering up and be who you are.
This really got me to thinking about life and how at each stage in our life, we add layer on top of layer. We layer so much, we lose sight of who we really are. We get lost in chaos, people, things and life events taking on so much that we seldom get to experience the life that was truly meant; the life we were born to inhabit.
In order for us to get to who we are and begin to enjoy life, we must shed (purge) ourselves of the layers that keep us from our core, which is where we will find our real, authentic self. We cover up using all sorts of stuff whether it is clothes, make-up, accessories, people, or things and then after a deep look in the mirror, the yield is haziness. Until we are determined to identify and then release those cover ups, we neglect the authentic self – yeah, the real you and me.
I leave you with quotes for uncovering and removing those layers that so deeply encompass us:
• This above all: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. – Hamlet, Shakespeare
• That inner voice has both gentleness and clarity. So to get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty, and the inevitability of something. – Meredith Monk
• The closer you stay to emotional authenticity and people, character authenticity, the less you can go wrong. – David O. Russell
• The authentic self is soul made visible. – Sarah Ban Breathnach
• Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good. – Alan Cohen
• We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity. – Barbara de Angelis
Retreat, Release, and Simplify to Self-transparency!
Until Next Time, Be sincere, Kind and Intentional
Jackie Warner, Career Development Facilitator
The Bridge “Where Community Matters”
Email: thebridge.us@gmail.com
Checkout our events: http://thebridge-us.yolasite.com
By: Jackie Warner
