“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was about 18 years ago when I was committed to having it all together. I was married to a good guy and living in a nice four-bedroom home in a suburban golf community. We both had full-time jobs with cushy 401k plans, had nice cars and took vacations. We even had a golden retriever named Bailey.
It all looked so good from the outside, so perfect.
Which is exactly what I wanted it to look like.
The white picket myth…
But it was far from perfect. Not because my husband was a bad guy (he wasn’t), but because what I had created in my life wasn’t aligned with who I really was.
It felt false.
It felt suffocating.
And lonely.
When we put on a façade, we isolate ourselves and we hide. We don’t allow people to really see us, to see our struggles, our real preferences and who we truly are. Looking perfect and acting perfect are highly overrated.
I spoke with a woman today who understands this idea of having it all together intimately.
She’s married to a doctor, has four adorable children, and a beautiful home. And for as long as she can remember, she’s been beating herself up for not being able to make herself happy within this picture-perfect life and running from one thing to another seeking what’s missing. And she’s finally over it.
Eventually, we have to come out of hiding because our souls won’t stop talking to us and calling us forward. I know this to be true from personal experience. Notice a difference?
