"What if you could wake up one morning and take a pill that would
completely remove your self-consciousness? One little gulp, and your fear
of being judged, embarrassed, or looking foolish would complete
disappear."One of the most pivotal changes we make in our life is when we go from child-like unawareness into a consciousness of self that forever tortures us and externally guides what we do in life. It robs us of our innocence, our spontaneity, and our real selves. Some of that is good, as our fear of others and a desire to "fit in" civilizes us to some degree. But we are never again able to let go of the grab that the opinions of others has on us.
Someone once said that we give up 80% of our real selves to be like others.
If there were such a pill to rid you of your self-consciousness,
"What chances would you take?
What new things would you try?
What fun would you allow yourself?"
Our only chance to tame the dragon may be to confront it, face it straight on, look it in the eye, and conquer it! Sometimes, don't Give a Hoot.
God has put a high premium on being child-like, on being real, on being true to your self, and in finding joy in life.
The only opinion that really matters is His.
So, go be you, and have some fun.
(Quotes from Cheryl Richardson in Life Makeovers)
3 comments:
Another poignant thought to start my day. I can't imagine going through life without being self-conscious. Even a day of without it would be a great gift. I'd be much less fidgety in public and would most likely see better things because I wouldn't be so consumed by whether I had something on my face or by how frumy I look.
I am currently taking a vocal skills class. Apparently the first couple lessons had been on this very topic of letting yourself go, as children do, and to sing without being self-conscious. Her point, only at that point can you achieve all that you are capable of. On the first day I was able to attend our teacher brought her little sister (7), a nephew (9), and a cousin (14) to class with her. Without telling them beforehand what they would need to do, she asked each of them to sing their favorite song for the class, beginning with the youngest. The 7 year old belted out all the words she could remember to an Anastasia song (most of which were incorrect). The nine year old quietly spoke the words to some cartoon theme song. And the 14 year old refused to sing anything claiming he couldn't pick a "favorite song" and nothing else would do. What a demonstration of this consciousness we develop as we age. I would love to be 7 again. In short, I'd take the pill.
Thank you, Anana, for that great story. If only there was such a pill. Thankfully in the security of family and friends we find safe places to be our true selves.
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