People Seeing your Thing

There are a few points in life when we feel truly exposed — vulnerable to whatever’s going to happen next, and we can’t do anything but wait and see.

Winnie the Pooh, as is often the case, has something to say on this:

… when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain , and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it — A.A. Milne

Doing something Thingish must involve some kind of exposure. If it doesn’t, then it’s not really a Thing — it’s just stuff.

Things should be seen.

That might be embarrassing, exulting, painful, rewarding or inconsequential.

But with every Thing inside you comes a chance to be brave, vulnerable and authentic.

Without that — you’re just going through the motions. And if you’re just going through the motions, why should anybody else pay attention?

Originally published at chris hargreaves.