I was at the top of my game. I succeeded at everything I tried. Whatever I wanted, I got. When I spoke, I was heard. The world was mine.  Or so I thought. People would tell me I was smart and could do anything. I was fearless. I heard it so many times I began to believe it myself.

Defining yourself by the reality seen through the eyes of others is the most distorted view of your own life that you can have. Living up to the kind of person others think you are is the hardest gig and eventually the show will close. With a crash!

For me it was many years ago now, but when the curtain fell it was with a deafening boom. Sooner or later you have to be honest with at least yourself about what you really are, how you really feel, what you can really do, what you are really afraid of.

It’s funny. You think that nakedness, that vulnerability, is the thing you fear the most but once you are exposed, out there for all to see, you realize that it is the most free you will ever feel in your whole life.

Yeah, you might hear bad things about yourself. Others may judge you.  But that is other people’s perceptions, their own insecurities. No one is perfect. Not you and certainly not your critics. The difference is that you’ve figured that out and they haven’t.

The good thing is you find you are not alone. You are truly loved just for you by people who genuinely care about you.