Can you release your Masks?
ByChris King Mask story
Masks
Deciding which mask I should put on everyday was a struggle. A desperate need to show my true beauty to others was my highest priority. Like most people, I wanted to look good. But choosing which display wasn’t the only thing I was worried about; it was the people’s reactions and opinions that left me with the final impression of my decision. Sorting through the massive clutter was stressful enough, but not enough for me. I had to choose the perfect disguise in order to fulfill my desperate needs. Then suddenly, my collection got too expansive and overwhelming. Something needed to change. Was it that I needed more colorful masks? Or maybe that I just needed to start my collection over? My voyage to find the perfect mask came to an end during the summer of 2010 when I attended the McGrane Global Centers, Move Into Your Greatness program. I found exactly what I was searching for my whole life. But what I found was no ordinary façade. It was the face behind the mask that I began to boast.
My entire life I have been using every ounce of my energy to make people happy— happy with me, happy with themselves, and happy with others. I never thought of how draining this really was. In order to fill them up, I left myself completely empty. In order to satisfy everybody’s needs, I put a “mask” on to fit the profiles of what they wanted me to be.
After years of hidden and isolated times, I came out of the program with no mask on my face. Sensitive to the warm sun, my pale face was now exposed to the world. Horrified of possible blemishes, yet the willingness to be comfortable being uncomfortable, I stood and basked in the sunlight for all to see. Of course fear overwhelmed my body, but there was something about finally being exposed that just felt so right. It felt so refreshing. Could this really be happening? Can I really go out in public without a mask on?
But the extraordinary thing I began to realize was, no mask can ever be your true identity. Emotionless, apprehensive, and stone-like I was. Did people really want me to be this way? My immediate answer was yes, but after guidance came and showed me how beautiful my face was, I will never turn back.
So the moral of this story is being courageous enough to let go of all of the facades and show people who you really are instead constantly attempting to adapt to each specific mold. Energy, respect, originality, and confidence disappear until the mask is finally lifted. Be yourself, love yourself, and honor yourself until the day you die. Live by originality, and through originality, success will prevail.
Christopher King – See his video sharing the story
