The importance of being . . . YOU

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955

Every Day-Dreaming Tuesday, I send out a text message to what I call the Dream Circle. And in every text, I usually include a quote that inspires the rest of the text. e.e. cummings quote above was part of today's Dream Circle text and it got such a great response that I knew I'd have to write a little more about it this week.

As I wrote in the text earlier today, I am choosing to think that the fight e.e. cummings mentions is really the fight we have with ourselves every day to be our authentic selves. That inner struggle to conform or not conform. I had that every single day when I worked in Corporate America (CA). There were many a times when I'd either sit in my car or stand in front of the building and cried. When I was working downtown at Salomon Smith Barney, I didn't even wait to get to the building. I'd start crying on the 1 train. What I was doing was so far removed from who I really am that it was painful. My entire body was rejecting the job I was doing. Every cell screamed out, "STOP!!! Don't do it!!! Go back! This is wrong!!!!!!!"

Talk about a place that wanted to make you like everyone else! Everybody dressed the same. All the guys had the same haircuts, suits, ties, shoes. No matter how much I tried, it was so obvious I didn't belong there. Make me wear a tie and it literally looks like I have a noose around my throat. Isn't it funny that a tightly knotted tie feels the same as if you were being strangled? I often pictured the invisible hands that were around my throat, forcing me to do what I didn't want to do. I could almost see the hands leading me by this "thing" around my throat. Dragging me around from floor to floor, office to office.

My last sojourn with CA almost landed me in the hospital. The stress of pretending to be someone I wasn't started to give me panic attacks. And, I don't mean once in a while either. I was getting a panic attack every single day, during working hours, usually while dealing with a pissed off client on the phone. It felt like I was dying and in a way, I certainly was. My inner being was slowly being suffocated, not only by the tie around my neck but by my constant betrayal of my authentic self.

After that job was over (I was a temp) I swore to myself that I would never do something so detrimental to my well-being. I mean, I understand that in order to maneuver our way in this world, we do have to abide by certain rules. Fine. But once this means a pushing down and stifling of the person we truly are, that's where the problems begin. It just never works ,does it? We can't last long pretending to be something we're not.

If you've lost that connection to your true being and your authenticity as a human being has been compromised, I ask you to begin the journey of self-discovery. Begin to uncover those things that make you, YOU. Get in touch with the person you came here to be..

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel