{"id":1040,"date":"2015-06-03T03:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T09:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/theprinciplesofspiritualliving\/?p=1040"},"modified":"2015-05-31T16:22:29","modified_gmt":"2015-05-31T22:22:29","slug":"be-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theprinciplesofspiritualliving\/2015\/06\/be-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Have you been told to just \u201cbe yourself?\u201d What does that even mean? And, does the person know what they\u2019re in for?<\/p>\n

We teach our children to express themselves, yet our public school system is set up all too often in a one-size-fits-all environment. I remember my mother looking for pantyhose one time and seeing \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d on the display. She muttered, \u201cFits all of WHAT?!?\u201d<\/p>\n

One size rarely fits all and that goes double for our personalities. Truth be told we are<\/em> different to different people. It\u2019s nothing to be ashamed about. I\u2019ve yet to meet a person who doesn\u2019t have a couple of different faces, haven\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

We aren\u2019t the same at home as we are at work, at a party or at church. Basically we are the same in that we may be a caring person, a selfish person, etc., but how we display that to others through our facial expressions, body language and tone of voice can vary dramatically.<\/p>\n

More than once someone in my family has remarked, You\u2019re using your \u201cflight attendant voice\u201d again! It happens. I\u2019m guilty. I admit it. It\u2019s effective with a disruptive passenger at 39,000 feet in a pressured tin can hurdling through the atmosphere at 500 miles per hour. At home during dinner? No so much.<\/p>\n

Understanding that we can live our lives with certain basic, fundamental principles and yet display those qualities in a variety of ways is eye-opening and healthy. Steven Pressfield, in his book, \u201cThe War of Art,\u201d gives us an amazing visual of this. He says, \u201cThe professional identifies with her consciousness and her will, not with the matter that her consciousness and will manipulate to serve her art. \"Madonna<\/a>\u00a0Madonna doesn\u2019t walk around her house in cone bras. She does not identify with \u2018Madonna.\u2019 Madonna employs \u2018Madonna.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you get the gist of that AND just how freeing it can be for our personal lives? It\u2019s an amazing exercise in recognizing that \u201cwhat\u201d we are in any given situation doesn\u2019t have to be \u201cwho\u201d we are in our greater purpose in life.<\/p>\n

What would happen if today \u2013 right now, perhaps \u2013 you would \u201cbe yourself?\u201d Would people flee? Would you lose your job or relationship? Probably not.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not discounting that you may already be living an authentic life, but here are the real questions:\u00a0 If you can\u2019t be who you are with the person you\u2019re with then why are you with them? If you can\u2019t be authentic in your career then why have you chosen to play so small?<\/p>\n

These are big questions with awesome answers. My friend, Edwene, asked them of me over two years ago. Together, we found the answers, I\u2019ve never looked back and my life has changed dramatically for the better.<\/p>\n

Be yourself. Be authentic. We all need you to do that because you\u2019re the only one who can!<\/p>\n

Now \u2026 anyone know where I can get a gold lam\u00e9, cone bra bustier for my 44 inches chest? I have some housework to do and \u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,<\/p>\n

Terry<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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