Get Naked
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4382/Dont-Just-Be-Transparent-Get-Naked.html
In
the self- improvement world you will often hear the words, "In order to
be transparent." What the speaker means is he is going to be completely
open with you. The word transparent is over used these days. I prefer
open, vulnerable, real, exposed, naked. In the song, Moves Like Jagger, Adam Levine
sings, “I put on a show. Now I make it.” but I always hear the lyrics
as, “I put on a show. Now I’m naked.” Personally, I prefer my version
for several reasons.
Don't Just Be Transparent, Get Naked
In
the self- improvement world you will often hear the words, "In order to
be transparent." What the speaker means is he is going to be completely
open with you. The word transparent is over used these days. I prefer
open, vulnerable, real, exposed, naked. In the song, Moves Like Jagger, Adam Levine
sings, “I put on a show. Now I make it.” but I always hear the lyrics
as, “I put on a show. Now I’m naked.” Personally, I prefer my version
for several reasons.
1. I get to picture Adam Levine naked
2.
I interpreted the words to mean that he had completely revealed
himself, left himself exposed and was willing to be honest about who he
is.
Most of the time people wear masks
with each other. We have who we truly are inside and who we present to
the world. To reveal ourselves completely leaves us feeling scared,
anxious, and vulnerable. What if we are rejected? What if someone uses
our weaknesses against us? We put on happy faces, well-adjusted
attitudes, completely competent and capable demeanors.
The
problem with presenting ourselves this way is that we isolate
ourselves. We become so focused on our own presentation that we miss out
on really learning about and knowing others. We end up feeling alone
and misunderstood.
When someone tells us they
love us we don’t believe them because they don’t really know us or we
become resentful that they fall in love with this idealized version of
us. Why don’t they love the real me? When they love this version of me, I
am then stuck always having to be this made up, perfect version of
myself. It becomes exhausting always putting on a show.
We
end up disliking ourselves even more because we are hiding and because
we’ve done such a good job we have fooled everyone and now they would
never love the “real” us. We’d be exposed as a fraud if the truth came
out.
The thing is many people find “perfect”
people intimidating. If they seem to have it all together, they become a
little bit unapproachable. Revealing some of our foibles allows the
other person to be authentic too. They see that they can be themselves
with you, that you will relate to them.
Our vulnerabilities and quirks are what make us unique. If we were all the same, how boring the world would be.
The
most influential people in the world were all completely unique. Think
Einstein, that crazy hair and honest willingness to fail and then try
again are some of the reasons we appreciate him. Malcolm X stood for
civil rights in a very different way than Martin Luther King, Jr. Both
of these men were true to their own personalities and they both had a
profound impact on the world. Jesus, Buddha, Mother Theresa, Helen
Keller- all were different yet willing to be genuine. They modeled being
true to yourself, opening yourself up to vulnerability to really
connect with others. To be true to yourself and others is one of our
greatest challenges. Bolster up your courage, be real, and get ready to
see your life change. Don’t just be transparent, get naked.
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