Shed the Mask, Be Vulnerable and Grow

All too often we hide behind masks in life.

The mask of confidence when really we feel anything but.

The mask of happiness when really we’re feeling down.

The mask of competence when really we know little.

The mask of being decisive when really we have no idea what to do.

The mask of having lots of fancy possessions and money to spare when really we just owe lots.

What about if instead we:

• Embraced the possibility of being open, of being vulnerable.
• Welcomed not knowing as a chance to learn something new.
• Saw past the need to impress others and keep up and just concentrated on being true to ourselves, our real passions and the things and people we cared about.
• Saw making mistakes as opportunities to grow.
• Ditched the masks altogether and just concentrated on being our authentic self.

Wouldn’t that lead to more happiness?

Wouldn’t that lead to real competence?

Wouldn’t that lead to more contentment?

Be authentic, be open, be vulnerable, be you and grow.

The original version of this post was shared on my blog Frictionless Living.

Carl writes short books full of big ideas, including Write: Simple Ways to Uncover Your Best Work. He is also the proud owner of Frictionless Living which is about the pursuit of simplicity to help us focus on what matters most. It’s about finding clarity in distracted times.