Being Who You Are

Suffice it to say that we all tend to wear masks, special masks for each person in our lives. We tailor our words for each different mask with the desire to present only that part of ourselves that we feel comfortable in showing to a particular person. In a way, it is a lie to do so, but for whatever reason we wear the mask, it is because we want to be loved.

There is no special solution to the problem, though it is only a problem when we compromise ourselves and our feelings to accommodate what we believe people want from us. When someone doesn’t love us for who we truly are, or we perceive that someone won’t love us for who we are, the situation becomes complicated and messy. It is our fear of rejection that perpetuates the use of masks, hiding and sometimes, even shame.

What really becomes the important thing is that everyone practice unconditional love. When there isn’t that fear of being rejected, when we can freely say what we think and feel, do what is foremost in our own hearts, we can clear away the masks, peel away the onion, and be the person we truly feel we are in reality.

It may feel scary at first, trusting that another person is truly there for us. It may play on our fear of abandonment. But you will only know if the honest pronouncement of your inner self works for you if you put out your toe and test the waters. Start small, certainly, but never feel as if you need to hide your true self. If you are left behind when you do so, could those around you be worth the trade-off? The people who love you, unconditionally, will always be there, through thick and thin. The ones who aren’t, just aren’t worth your time.