Being yourself is hard but it doesn’t have to be.
How we cultivate shame and how to dissolve it
Shame is a brick wall between who we are and who we want to be.
Each brick represents a moment or a message that made us feel badly about ourselves. These messages come from advertisements, friends, parents, teachers, strangers, movies, lovers, books, and more.
Over a lifetime, that wall can get so thick and so high, it almost feels impenetrable. But it actually comes down the same way it goes up — brick by brick.
With every open, honest conversation we have with other people about our bodies, feelings, relationships, intentions, and aspirations, we start to connect more and more with ourselves and others.
Part of loving someone is cultivating the space and safety necessary to break down those bricks — one a time — until the greatest miracle of all happens: they realize that they’ve got nothing to be ashamed of and can simply be who they are.
Being seen in the light — this is what it feels like to be loved. And it is the greatest gift we can give to each other.
We built these walls together.
And together, we can break them down.
Moment by moment.
Conversation by conversation.
Brick by brick.
Here. We. Go.
Love, Jmw.
