Happy New Year, everyone! I want to start the year with a new series called the Courage series. I know that many of you like to make new year resolutions. Some may want to lose weight, save money, pay off debt, start a new job, quit an old job, and the list goes on and on. I applaud all of your efforts. Know that you have one more person cheering you on all year long. I hope that my Courage series will give you that extra boost you need to keep going. So, let’s talk about how we can find the courage to unveil the masks we wear.
The Masks We Wear
Let’s face it. For the past two or three years, we all have been wearing masks in some fashion. The pandemic drove us to a somewhat mandated mask-wearing society. But these are not the type of masks that I want to address. I want to talk about the masks we wear to work. Then we wear another one when we are out with friends and associates. We sometimes wear a different one when we are with our family. We take off our masks when we’re alone and may even do so with close family. But very rarely do we ever unveil ourselves and show who we are.
Why We Wear Masks
Why do we wear masks? More often than not, we wear masks because we have experienced some hardship or traumatic event. The difficulty between coping and resuming life as normal often forces us to wear a mask of some sort. It can be as simple as smiling when we don’t feel like smiling or challenging as feigning happiness and contentment in attending a family event when all we want to do is curl up in bed for a month. However, the challenge may present itself, one thing is sure – it takes courage to unveil the masks we wear.
Unveiling The Masks – It’s A Process
You may be asking yourself, how do I find the courage to unveil the masks I wear? Well, if you’re asking the question, you are already off to a great start! You want to begin the journey, which speaks volumes about your commitment to your healing process. Ultimately, the key is that it is a process. Although you may wear your masks daily, the process evolved. The most healing thing you can do is to be kind to yourself. Being kind to yourself means allowing the time you need to unveil your masks.
Finding Courage In The Small Stuff
So you’ve decided to begin the journey, and you are mustering your courage to unveil your masks by being kind to yourself. Now, where do I go from here? Start with the small stuff. The first mask I removed was my fake smile mask. You know the one when you are sad, but you feel as if you have to fake happiness because you don’t want to upset others around you. I decided to smile from my heart instead of wearing a mask. So my smiles were less frequent for a while. But when I smiled, I knew I meant it. It may sound like a simple or even silly thing. But anyone who lost their smile knows how difficult it is to regain. The transformational healing that occurs when we remove or unveil masks is phenomenal.
Unveiling The Masks And Moving Forward After Finding Courage
Unveiling the masks we wear takes both courage and commitment. As long as we remember to be kind to ourselves, the possibilities are endless. Start small. Allow yourself the time you need. Be generous to yourself. So which mask will you unveil first? Are you excited yet? I know I am excited for you! Remember, after removing the first mask, don’t stop there. Let’s keep moving forward with courage until we no longer wear masks.
Leave a Reply