Do you know?

In yesterday’s paper, the editorial cartoon by Rob Rogers shows Bruce Jenner on a box of Wheaties. The real Bruce Jenner. The Bruce Jenner that he, or rather she, is today.

“If we celebrated the courage it takes to be your true self . . .”

Yes. If we celebrated everyone who chose to be authentic, the faces on the cover of Wheaties would most likely be as varied as the rainbow.

It takes courage to be real, authentic. The word courage comes from Old French, which comes from Latin: cor “heart.“

It takes living from one’s heart to be courageous.

But in our world, we’re actually conditioned to be someone other than ourselves.

Who do you think you are? You can’t be a ____________, you don’t have the brains, education, connections. Your skin’s the wrong color. You’re stupid. Fat. Ugly.

Each one of us has been told that we’re somehow lacking. Whether from our parents, spouses, teachers, or the media, we’ve each gotten the message that we should be someone other than ourself.

And we’ve bought into it. Literally. We buy all the many things we’re told we need to buy to be: _________________ (fill-in-the-blank).

I’m here to tell you that it’s not true. That it’s a lie.

You are already perfect as you are. You already have within yourself everything you need to be who you came here to be.

Take a breath. A DEEP breath. Connect with your inner-self.

It’s time to be YOUR self. It’s time to be that brand of YOU that no one else can copy. Trademark. Patent.

How do I do that? How do I remember who I’ve come here to be?

First of all, simply BE yourself. That’s who you’ve come here to be – YOU.

Secondly, be still. Be quiet. Unplug.

Make space for yourself everyday to simply sit in the presence of who you are. You may begin to hear little whispers. You may hear the lion’s roar. Or you may simply hear silence. It will be exactly how it needs to be for you.

Today, I challenge you. Be YOUR self. Be brave enough to let the light within you shine forth. I promise you; the world will thank you. : ))))

Also, last week after a 15+ month hiatus, I posted a pep talk. The topic? Be YOUR self. : ) When I saw Rob Rogers’ editorial cartoon yesterday, I thought, “OMG! That would be perfect for the blog glob post for Sj’s Pep Talk: Be YOUR Self!” I wrote to Mr. Rogers last night, and he quickly replied with a YES! Thank you so very, very much Rob!

In closing, Dear Friends, whether I’ve met you in person, in Spirit, or through the internet, please know that I love you and see you for who you truly are.

+Sj