Delicacy of Change
Change has been in the air for a while now. As the year progresses forward, I have felt the growing presence of change. It's in the every day moments and it has seeped into my very thoughts.
Whenever I allow my mind to wonder or allow my written word to flow it always comes back to the theme of change. I circle back around to the thought of growth as if I was walking around a track. It has plagued my mind for a while and it is about time I shared these thoughts with you.
I have built up who I am through the use of masks and walls. Hiding things away and changing who I am by concealing who I really am. I have done it for so long that it seems as if I have lost sight of who lies underneath these masks. So I am endeavoring to start a journey of change and growth.
It is always beneficial to check in with your heart and see where you are with yourself. Do you know who you truly are? Does that person match the one you express on the outside? Or have you separated who you are from who you truly are?
In today's world, I truly believe it is far too easy to put up masks and cover up our uniqueness in order to "fit in" with everyone else. Diversity is looked down upon and we are expected to fit in with the crowds. Because of this we hide who we really are, we build up walls and masks and put on a show.
Yet every person is beautiful in their own way. Being unique and being different is what creates our identity. Who we are is unlike anyone else in the world and that is okay. That is how it's supposed to be. We were created as unique and beautiful human beings that give something to the world only we can give. Still the masks are put up and we build up a fake identity in order to appear important in the worlds eyes.
When we begin to lose sight of what we are made up of underneath the masks, it may be time to strip them away. If you feel like you no longer know who you are, maybe it's time to try and find that person again.
It all begins with vulnerability.
We have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. More often than not the person we have created was created in order to hide our delicacy and our frailty. We are told that being vulnerable is a weakness and we should act stronger. Yet there is no weakness in being vulnerable, it takes more courage and strength to show who you really are than to put on a mask.
It takes an incredible amount of bravery to lift off those masks and show the world who you are. It is so worth it though. The masks slip off, sometimes one by one, sometimes multiple at once, and there is freedom to be found in that. We become lighter and stronger than ever before. When we embrace who we are and boldly display that instead of our fake identities the opinions of the world around us do not seem to matter so much any more.
Change starts with vulnerability. Strip off the mask and show the world who you are underneath. Even if you begin in the privacy of your own domain, start somewhere. The more familiar you get with being yourself in your own home try being yourself in new places and when meeting new people. They don't have preconceived notions of how they think you should act so being yourself around them will be easier.
Allowing change to show through when you are around those who you know may be the hardest to do. You believe that they already have an image in their mind of how you should act and even though they do don't let that stop you from being yourself. People may question you as you strive to remove the masks, however this is not about them. This is a personal journey of self-rediscovery, tune out their commentary and focus on coming back to who you are.
Vulnerability is a hard place to come to, but it is necessary when it comes to coming back to ourselves. As I have recently come to discover, the more masks you build the more you lose sight of who you are. We are all unique and beautiful yet when we are exposed to the harshness of reality it ca be easy to cover up anything delicate with a mask.
There is strength in frailty. There is strength in being yourself. It is an ongoing journey, one on which I have just recently embarked on, yet it is necessary and oh so rewarding. You are the only you in the world. And I am the only me. We should embrace that, celebrate it, and encourage others to strip away their masks.
In a world full of facades and false identities, dare to be yourself.
Dare to embrace vulnerability.
(Wings)
Change ruffles the air as clouds gather overhead casting their shadows over the world. On delicate wings a butterfly dances waiting to be released from the cage that currently holds it captive.