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When we present ourselves to the world without a persona and keep it
real, we offer the same opportunity for others to do the same. Most of us are familiar with the idea of
keeping it real and have an intuitive sense about what that means. People who
keep it real don’t hide behind a persona to keep themselves safe from their
fear of how they might be perceived. They don’t present a false self in order
to appear more perfect, more powerful, or more independent. People who keep
it real present themselves as they truly are, the good parts and the parts
most of us would rather hide, sharing their full selves with the people who
are lucky enough to know them. Being real in this way is not an easy
thing to do as we live in a culture that often shows us images of physical
and material perfection. As a result, we all want to look younger, thinner,
wealthier, and more successful. We are rewarded externally when we succeed at
this masquerade, but people who are real remind us that, internally, we
suffer. Whenever we feel that who we are is not enough and that we need to be
bigger, better, or more exciting, we send a message to ourselves that we are
not enough. Meanwhile, people who are not trying to be something more than
they are walk into a room and bring a feeling of ease, humor, and warmth with
them. They acknowledge their wrinkles and laugh at their personal
eccentricities without putting themselves down. People like this inspire us to let go of
our own defenses and relax for a moment in the truth of who we really are. In
their presence, we feel safe enough to take off our personas and experience
the freedom of not hiding behind a barrier. Those of us who were lucky enough
to have a parent who was able to keep it real may find it easier to be that
way ourselves. The rest of us may have to work a little harder to let go of
our pretenses and share the beauty and humor of our real selves. Our reward
for taking such a risk is that as we do, we will attract and inspire others,
giving them the permission to be real too. |
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