Boobs. Yup. This word will conjure up different images in each of you. Some of you clicked on this post imagining an article filled with sexual innuendo and perhaps hoped for pictures of voluptuous breasts. For others, you may be thinking of someone you know who has endured breast cancer and wanted to read more. Perhaps you have been considering breast implants and are eager to see whether this article will cover that topic. Many of you may be thinking this article will cover ways to deal with some of the ridiculously foolish people you have crossed paths with during your life. Dozens of you may be curious about what crazy topic I will cover again below. Just one word with many different meanings. Each of you brings your own perspective and interest in defining this word. As a result, you have all clicked on this page with extremely different expectations.
This article does not cover breasts or silly human beings. It instead covers the notion that we all have varying ideas and perspectives, even towards just one word. That brings me to my main point. Your name, which really encompasses you, evokes completely different feelings in those you interact with. If you think about it in these terms, we really all are just abstract concepts. We are a myriad of different personalities to those we encounter.
Let's take me for instance. For some, my direct and honest approach is refreshing, and even appreciated, while for others it is obnoxious and over the top. Some may find me to be inspiring and motivating while others will view me as trying to show off or brag. Many who know me consider me as one who lives an authentic and genuine life yet I am sure some think I am inauthentic and overcompensating in one way or another. While a lot of folks view me as confident, in the eyes of others I am overbearing. Because everyone views me based on their own life experiences, views of themselves, and the lens they wear, I float through the universe in many different forms. So do you.
This realization is crucial because many of us strive to please those around us. We have embarked on an endless quest to gain the approval of others. This is an impossible task that will never be fulfilled simply by the very fact that humans all see the world around them through their own points of view. Everyone around you will react entirely differently towards you based on their own personal perceptions. Once you absorb this concept, it's easy to understand that the only person you need to please is yourself. Are you happy in your own skin? Do your intentions feel pure? Are you a kind and generous human being? Do you face your fears and follow your dreams? Does love guide your decisions? Do you treat others well? Are you charitable? Are you honest? Do you live your best life? Do you have fun? Do you respect the planet? Do you practice gratitude? Do you cherish your body? These are a tiny fraction of some of the ideals we all aspire to as human beings. As long as we know that we are on track to be the best versions of ourselves, that is all that truly matters. You have nothing to prove to others. Realistically, even if you tried, they won't see it the same way you hoped they would so don't even bother trying.
Say your name out loud for a moment. Seriously, say it. Think about how your name supplicates so many ideas in the minds of those around you. You are not who everyone thinks you are. You will never be who you want everyone to think you are. You can only be who you want to be through your eyes and in your skin. Spending time worrying about how others perceive you is a moot point. You will never have everyone around you perceive you in the same way. Never. Rather than chasing this endless battle, start sitting with your name more often so that when people call your name, you like what it arouses in you. How do you feel when you say your name out loud?
Apologies to those of you who wanted more information on the female anatomy. Perhaps one day I will aim to write about a more scientific topic. Today though, I urge you to contemplate the idea that you actually do not exist in the form you believed you have been living. You are a thousand different things to a thousand different people. By the time people digest your personality, you are barely an inkling of where you hoped to be. You get lost in translation every single day. Those around us extract whatever they need from our traits and characteristics to satiate their own natural processing needs. Return to the concrete place where you are you, the real you, as well as the you that you aspire to be, and hold on to this place for yourself. Create a space where you can live in the way you want without any concerns about how others respond to you. The only perception of you that you can control is your own one.
When I think about my name being tossed around and the countless associations that people have with it, I obviously would like the majority of people to have positive images when they hear it being said. Yet, I also know, and accept, that there are those who have negative feelings when my name comes up. For once, finally, I can be unapologetic to those who have their own insecurities to work through and their own lenses to defog. As long as I continue to demand of myself to live my most honest, compassionate, charitable, and adventurous life, I cannot be bogged down by those who interpret these goals differently. It took a year's worth of work to get here, self-evolvement sure is a journey! The ultimate destination of being happy in our own skin, without others' opinions of us affecting us, is well worth the effort though.
Send me your name. I'd love to hear you say it out loud as you type it on your keyboard. I hope you will be smiling when you do so and if not, I truly hope that one day soon you will get to this point. If you are a subscriber to my blog then I know we have been evolving together and our journeys are similar. Knowing this will surely make me smile when I hear your name come through.
Comments