The Courage to Be

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”, thought Aristotle.

What would happen, if one is split into two halves, resulting in the person showing one’s true self?

And Lucille Ball had wonderfully stated “You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”

It is often said that the price of true love is self-knowledge, but what if we show ourselves and no one will love who we are?

The writer Anais Nin reminds us of this folly “She lacks confidence, she craves admiration insatiably. She lives on the reflections of herself in the eyes of others. She does not dare to be herself.”

The solution, it seems, is to connect with the self. Once one does that, says Shyma Begum, “you will feel that no strength in this world can defeat you.”

Thus, this piece is about the disconnection from our true selves. I’ve selected a beautiful piece of log, and cut it precisely in the middle; now, when the two halves “face” each other, we can see this detachment between who we (“imperfect inside”) are and what we show others (“perfect outside”).

Some people ask “what if others won’t like our true selves?” and I ask “if other’s love something I’m not, who do they really love”?

So actually, the “inside” parts of the log are unique and special.

And if fear still creeps in, remember the guiding words of Brene Brown: “Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism,” and Brendon Burchard agrees: “Fear wins or freedom wins, and I choose freedom.”