When something is of us, is for us, it sets off the tuning fork inside us. – James Hollis

My step-daughter and I were watching TV when a commercial came on. An impossibly beautiful woman, supposedly with no make-up on, was demonstrating the ease of removing her make up with this product. I said, “What a lie, she still has make-up on,” then my step-daughter said, “Besides, no one looks that good without make-up, even models.” For that moment we clearly saw we were being sold a fantasy. We know the people they’re selling as perfect aren’t, they all have zits and cellulite no matter what product they’re using. We want so badly to believe that if we have the perfect smile, or hair style, or home, we’ll somehow be better. It is true, we are all trying to become better, do better, feel more whole, the problem is we can’t purchase it. Perhaps the biggest lie of all is that if we buy enough we will be enough. Deep down we know better, it’s just hard to see the truth when we are immersed in the lies day after day. We are constantly being told what we should look like, how much we should weigh, what we should eat, wear or drive, to what jobs we should have. It’s pervasive, and it keeps us from ourselves.

There is only one truth, and that is our truth. The truth that resonates deep within us, that feeds us, uplifts us, makes us feel at home with who we really are. If we pay attention we recognize it when we see it. We are all going to look at the world differently, like different things, have different tastes. That is for us to discover on our own, not to be bossed around by corporate others who just want to make a buck off of our insecurities. The tragedy comes when we trade our real gifts and talents for an image we can never attain in any real or lasting way, and that in the end is only a second rate copy. We’ll always be a better authentic version of our true self than a copy of some manufactured ideal. Our quirky imperfections should be a joy, not a sorrow.

That noise of not being enough surrounds us wherever we go, that’s why all this work on the interior is so important. It’s how we break the spell. Creating a sanctuary for the soul minimizes some of the outside noise and helps us to better hear the truth of what’s right for us. All of the time spent reading, daydreaming, being in silence or nature helps us to center ourselves from within. Only by listening to what is inside of us will we be able to see the lies for what they are.

So let’s stop believing all the lies and start believing in ourselves.

kb