Masks
Who are you when you are around your family, friends, or even strangers? Do you change? Who do you become? Is it an image that you want to portray to suit the situation or be someone you are not? We wear masks almost every day of our lives depending on what we are doing. The mask of who we perceive we are supposed to be. It is a false persona not representing who we truly are. Some people wear masks to get affection. Some people wear masks to please others. Some people wear masks to get something from others. In all the scenarios the mask is us trying to manipulate others by giving others what we think they need so; we get what we need. We are looking for happiness through the external not the internal. It is us not believing in our own self-worth enough to say, “I am me”. We do not trust the person in the mirror to be worthy enough for the person we are interacting with. We do not have enough self-love to be ok with who we are so, we put on the mask of who the others need us to be, not honoring ourselves. We believe that because we wear the mask that the person will love us, will be happy or will give us what we lack internally. But we cannot fulfill our needs through others. Eventually the mask wears off and the true you always shine through and then there is confusion or anger from the other person. You lose the things you were needing to fill you internally. We can never hold the deception long enough to sustain what we want from the other person. If we only had faith in our true selves, that is when we would not need the external happiness because we will have the internal joy. We would not need to fill the lack from the external because we would be full in the internal. I am not here to say you are a deceiver and that you are a liar for wearing a mask but, to bring you aware of the masks we wear. We all wear masks in our lives. You might not even be aware when you do. It has been programed within us at an early age to be the good girl, be the good employee, and be who we need you to be to get our approval. So, we learn to wear the masks to get what we want. If we realize we have what we need we do not have to wear the masks. So, how do we turn off the need to wear the masks? First, we must be aware of our changes when we put the mask on, second, we must strive to understand what we need from this external source and third we must look internally for the need. We might be able to stop us putting on the masks but, we may bring our awareness to see more of what we need through the process.
Awareness of when we put the masks on can be hard to recognize because it may happen automatically through years of practice. Just take some time when you are around your family, spouse, friend, or strangers and see if your personality changes. Do you ignore the red flags or do things you do not normally do with a new boyfriend because you want his love? You’ve put on the mask to get the love you want from them. Meanwhile the red flags are still there, and you will not be able to keep doing what he needs without sacrifice of you too long. The mask you are wearing is trying to fulfill that lack of love is changing you to another person. The change can happen all the time from our lack of what we need internally. Notice the change, it can take place when you are interacting with a mother for her love, an employer for their respect, or a person with stature for the acceptance. The change is your mask for the external need. Do not try to justify the change just be aware. See that you were your normal wonderful self and you switched into the alter ego. Maybe it is someone who you even want to become but, aren’t there. You will not become that person by wearing the mask. You will only put up a front that will be exposed later. You will become who you want to be by living it internally first. Be aware of the mask when you change from you to who they need you to be and observe. Look into what you are looking for from this other person.
What does your inner self need by wearing a mask to pretend you are not who you are? Is what you seek able to be an internal need? Why do you change for the boyfriend? Maybe you lack self-love or self-respect. You are changing who you are to get what you need. But you will never get what you need until you are full internally first. The mask by passes the need of fulfillment internally by seeking it outwardly. The realization the person you are seeking it from is trying to fill their needs. How can one fulfilling their own needs provide you with what you need? Learn to be without the mask and full internally so you can reap the pleasures of the external abundance. When first you can recognize this, you can see what you need. What is your void, then fill it? Going empty into something with your mask on will only create dependence on the external need and you will never be full. Take the time to give yourself what you seek externally.
You will find you have everything you need within you if you look hard enough and turn off the external voices that tell you to be someone else. The mask cannot provide you what you need so, practice what you seek externally. If you need love practice self-love. If you need to feel worthy practice self-worth first. When you can truthfully say you do not need to fill a void internally by external needs, you will receive abundance. External love will be in abundance when you can step out without a mask. You will not have to pretend to be the alter ego. You can be you without worry of the perception of others if you are full. The mask will be removed because you do not have to hide. Watch the abundance of what you lacked earlier to blossom to be overflowing. Just because someone is in front of you saying you have to be a certain way or your inner voice tells you the same, you do not have to listen when you do not need what they have. What they have is theirs and what you have is evolving to your abundance.
Take off your mask to be someone you are not. You do not need to be others or what they have. You have an abundance of what you need inside, and the mask cannot give you that. It is a alter ego that is not real. The real is your beautiful imperfect self that can fill your own tank full of whatever you need. Your abundance is beyond your inner fulfillment. People will see your light shine and you will attract like a giant star more of what you want because you are full. Understand that people that lack wear masks and you do not lack anything. You have the inner peace to be happy being yourself. Behind your mask is you and the world wants to be a part of your world.