At every step of your life, you are presented with roles and you have been made to believe that you have to choose a role to fit into – a mask to wear.
I’m going to go right ahead and say that you shouldn’t pick any mask and instead, forge your own way. Opt to align your life with your authentic self.
How easy is it to ignore your authentic self and just do what everyone else is doing?
Too easy.
That’s why you see so many large scale, destructive societal patterns. Deep down, everyone knows factory farming, deforestation and disposable plastics are bad, but they’re the convenient and easy solution.
So what’s an example of having to choose a role that you’ve experienced more directly in your life?
A very common example is pre-sized clothing. No two bodies are the same but clothing manufacturers have reduced the diversity of 7 billion bodies into 3 sizes: small, medium and large.
Another example, think about your high school or post-secondary educational environment. What groups existed? The studious crowd, the cool kids, the ones that never came to class, the party animals, so on and so forth.
These were all roles and masks that you had the option of choosing from.
Now think about what mask you chose and how well it resonated with you. A lot of the time, the mask you choose will fit to a certain degree but there will always be a part of you that disagrees with it. This part of you is your authentic self. Your authentic self is the part of you that knows exactly who you are, what aligns with you and what you need in life.
Think back to the clothing example: a suit off the shelf will never fit you as well as a tailor-made suit.
So why shouldn’t you take the easy route?
Firstly, you would be doing yourself a major disservice. Your authentic self will grow unhappier the longer you wear your mask. That means that that little unhappy voice inside you will get louder and louder.
Soon the voice will be unbearably loud. This is when you finally start to acknowledge that the mask you’re wearing doesn’t fit anymore and start to look for another. This process will happen over and over throughout your life and there is nothing inherently wrong with trying on yet another mask. The issue arises when you hop right into another role without taking the time to listen to the voice inside and really examine who you are.
Secondly, when you choose a role and try to make yourself fit, you are creating an inner divide.
Authentic you at your very core yearns to shine through with all your joy and innocence and illuminate your daily life. It is your mind that creates barriers to this.
Insecurity, fear of judgment, vulnerability and undefined space keeps your authentic self deep, deep inside where no one else can see.
Luckily, this does not last forever.
Your authentic self is loud, disruptive and persistent; that nagging, little voice deep down will not stop bothering you until you listen to it.
It’s like the battle between mother and child, the child will eventually bend to the mother’s will. And just like the mother and child, the mother’s intentions are always benevolent. Regardless what the child’s perception is, in the long run, the mother’s actions will always be for the benefit of the child.
And finally, wearing masks and fitting into predefined roles is not a permanent solution and at some level you know that.
You can only run from your authentic self for so long; you can only resist your truth for so long.
Until then, you have the freedom of exploring and enjoying the limitless masks that life presents to you. Each one will help you discover another unspeakably beautiful part of you and ultimately bring you closer to your authentic self.
Soon, you will be ready to leave the masks behind entirely and fearlessly live your unique, irreplaceable truth.
In fact, if you are already questioning who you are, you are ready to leave the boxes behind and begin the journey to your authentic self.
The journey to your Authentic Self
A journey through the dark corners of the mind can be terrifying without guidance. For this reason, thousands of years ago, the practice of yoga was expounded.
Yoga is not just postures. Yoga is a scientific method to reach higher levels of consciousness. Calming the mind, and freeing the body of illness and impurity are side-effects of the deep, spiritual practice that is yoga.
In my own journey, it was the regular practice of yoga that guided me through the labyrinth of my mind and to the unshakable stillness within.
Years and many, many spiritual undertakings later, I am ready to guide you through this journey and bring you home to your authentic self.
