The Perfect Present

It must be difficult at times to live
as a public persona - especially one
that is an entertainer.

You get all kinds of people talking
about your failures probably more
often than your successes.

You get people assessing your every
thought, your every move, your every
thing.

All businesses have their brands and
their brands need to perform or they
are laid to rest.

While the the branding thing is more
noticeable in things like toothpaste,
it most certainly applies to celebrities,
and even those who aren't a celebrity.

People have become most fickle. In
some ways we have been hypnotized to
be that way. We have been taught
that new is better than old. We have
been taught new is cooler than old.
We have been taught that to be "in"
we have to be with whoever and whatever
the hottest and newest "thing" is.

It takes a special kind of attitude
to remember that what one does is not
who one is. It takes a special kind
of effort to recognize that if
something fails, it does not a failure
make.

It takes us being able and willing to
be aware that the qualities of the
things around us are not who we are.

Someone can be outwardly beautiful
and still be a very ugly person.

Someone can be outwardly rich
and still be a very poor person.

When the going is good, the connection
will feed us, but when it is not so
good it can destroy us.

It might be difficult to know who you
are separate from all of the labels
you wear. However, to have the best
chance of being peaceful and accepting
of yourself, it is best to distinguish
yourself separate from those labels.

For some it is easier to wear the
labels, as uncomfortable as they may
be, than to figure out who they are.

As with all of life's experiences,
that can work for some. However, for
others there will come an inevitable
time when who that person is must be
reckoned with.

It is likely a better experience overall
when it is done by choice rather than
when it is thrust upon someone by the
things that are happening in that
person's life at the time.

There was a particular time in my life
when I came face to face with a facet
of myself that was long hidden by its
perceived pretty side.

It was VERY uncomfortable to recognize
it and even harder to claim it.

BUT...once I did, something quite
magical happened. I found that I was
less inclined to be that way over time.
By turning the metaphorical light on it,
it made it mostly disappear, almost like
magic.

At the time, though...it was painful
beyond words. We work hard to protect
those things we think we know and it
can be difficult beyond words to tear
down the old and make way for something
new and unknown.

For me, it was worth it, and I am sure
that there are other parts of me that
are now on alert to prevent that from
ever happening again!! LOL.

Who you are - when stripped naked of
all that things say you are - is quite
vulnerable and it can be very scary.
And yet when you are stripped bare you
have possibilities unlike any other
you've ever had and nothing weighing
you down, stopping you.

Ever wanted the perfect Christmas
present? It isn't one that anyone else
could ever give you. It is one only
you can give yourself.

Consider giving yourself you this
Christmas. Others in your life might
not be so sure it's such a good thing,
as they become dependent on who they
think you are...but that is a discussion
for another day.

One step at a time.