I’m always fascinated by our capacity as humans to shed old skin, change, and evolve.
Sure, we may not let go of our outdated selves as visibly as a snake, leaving physical evidence of what’s been let go of. But we go through periods — whether it’s in cycles of months, years, or decades — where an old self simply isn’t serving us anymore. It becomes a trap.
We’re professional shape-shifters, changing masks and becoming different characters depending on where we are, with whom we are, and what we’re trying to achieve.
But… who is the ‘you’ behind all these masks?
Ooft. Great question.
I’ve been shedding a lot of old skin and going through major life transitions over the last 10 months. Asking a lot of big, bold (and uncomfortable) questions so I can understand myself more deeply.
It’s interesting that no matter how old you are, if you don’t actively work on understanding your thoughts, beliefs, and deepest longings, being 15 or 45 can feel surprisingly similar. The inner experience remains the same. It’s only the reflection in the mirror that changes.
In the last few years, I found myself feeling exactly how I did when I was 14.
Making myself small, wanting to hide, being scared of taking up space and really showing up, and, of course, worrying about how others may perceive what I do or say (oh hey, any other recovering people-pleasers here?).
These narratives we have in our minds (‘I’m not good enough,’ ‘I’m not confident enough,’ ‘Who am I to do this?’) are nothing but well-rehearsed scripts.
Don’t like where you’re at or who you are? Get yourself a new script.
Start learning those new lines (it’ll be tough), but the more you rehearse them, the easier they’ll become.
Eventually, they’ll sound natural. And at some point, they’ll be so natural that you’ll forget it was ever a script you needed to rehearse — it’ll simply be the new narrative by which you live.
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The new, confident narrative illustrated beautifully by principe @stamatobaptista 🫶🏼