COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!
Remember hearing that when you were a kid playing Hide ‘n Seek and the one that was “It” gave up because she couldn’t find you?
COMING OUT is a great concept and while it is now generally attributed mostly to gays and debutantes (yes, there are still debutantes – I googled it to be sure), it can also be used in other ways. For instance –
COMING OUT can mean the real you, the one you keep hidden away, that luminous and knowing you, that creative and irreverent you. That “you” can come out into the world and play.
Many people keep their true self hidden. You know, the one that knows things but doesn’t say them because you don’t want people to think you’re a know-it-all. Or the one that really wants to try something new like writing, or dancing, or skiing, or race-car driving, or going back to school, or starting a new career, or…, but you’re afraid you’re too old or too young, or not athletic enough, or not smart enough, or… And then you’ll fail and feel like a fool.
One of the things I have learned that has made a significant difference in the joy factor in my life is the willingness to make a fool of myself. That may sound, well, foolish, but it has been one of the most freeing things I have ever done. I became an actor for some years, and much later a theater reviewer, and have created Cultivate Joy Within. None of those things would have occurred if I shied away from the possibility of making a fool of myself. And, particularly with acting, I made a fool of myself more than once. Learning to laugh at the peccadillos in life has freed me up to enjoy life more and develop more of my creativity because I spend less time judging myself and worrying about what others might think. And, as a bonus, I have a funny story to tell my friends.
So, if you’re one of those people who keep yourself hidden, I encourage you to …